Stefka Kostadinova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stefka Kostadinova

Personal information
Native name	Стефка Георгиева Костадинова
Full name	Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova
Nationality	Bulgarian
Born	(1965-03-25) 25 March 1965 (age 60) Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Years active	1985–1997
Height	1.80 m
Weight	60 kg
Sport
Country	Bulgaria
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	High jump
Turned pro	1985
Retired	1997
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1st (Atlanta, 1996)
Highest world ranking	1st (Rome, 1987)
Personal best(s)	High jump outdoor: 2.09 m indoor: 2.06 m
Medal record Representing  Bulgaria Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta High jump Silver 1988 Seoul High jump World Championships Gold 1987 Rome High jump Gold 1995 Gothenburg High jump European Championships Gold 1986 Stuttgart High jump World Indoor Championships Gold 1985 Paris High jump Gold 1987 Indianapolis High jump Gold 1989 Budapest High jump Gold 1993 Toronto High jump Gold 1997 Paris High jump European Indoor Championships Gold 1985 Pireaus High Jump Gold 1987 Liévin High Jump Gold 1988 Budapest High Jump Gold 1994 Paris High Jump Silver 1992 Genoa High Jump Goodwill Games Gold 1986 Moscow High Jump IAAF Grand Prix Final Gold 1985 Rome High Jump Gold 1987 Brussels High Jump Gold 1993 London High Jump Silver 1991 Barcelona High Jump IAAF World Cup Gold 1985 Canberra High Jump European Cup Gold 1985 Moscow High Jump Gold 1987 Prague High Jump Silver 1995 Villeneuve d'Ascq High Jump Silver 1996 Madrid High Jump

Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova (born March 25, 1965) is a famous Bulgarian athlete. She was a high jumper who set an amazing world record. Her record jump of 2.09 meters stood for many years. It was finally broken in 2024 by Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Stefka is an Olympic champion and has won many world titles. Since 2005, she has been the president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee.

Early Life and High Jump Start

Stefka Kostadinova was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She went to a special sports school. However, she only discovered high jump when she was about 12 or 13 years old. This happened at an athletics event in Sofia. She has said that day was one she would never forget.

A Champion's Career

A plaque at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria. It remembers Stefka's world record of 2.08 meters set in 1986.

Stefka Kostadinova was the world record holder in women's high jump for a very long time. She set her incredible world record of 2.09 meters in 1987. This happened at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome.

She set seven world records in total during her career. Three of these were for outdoor jumps and four for indoor jumps. Stefka also jumped over 2.00 meters an amazing 197 times! This shows how consistently good she was.

Olympic and World Success

Stefka won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She set an Olympic record there with a jump of 2.05 meters. She also earned a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

She won the outdoor World Championships twice. These wins were in 1987 and 1995. Stefka also won the World Indoor Championship five times. These indoor wins happened between 1985 and 1997.

European Titles

Stefka Kostadinova also won gold medals in every European Championship she competed in. She was the European outdoor champion in Stuttgart in 1986. She also became a four-time European indoor champion. Her indoor European titles were in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1994.

Awards and Recognition

Stefka was named the Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year four times. These years were 1985, 1987, 1995, and 1996. She was also chosen as the BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year five times. This award was given to her in 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996, and 1997.

Life After Athletics

In 1995, Stefka Kostadinova had her son, Nikolay. This was just a few months before she won a gold medal at the 1995 World Championships. She officially ended her athletic career in 1999. However, she had not competed in major events since 1997. In 2007, Stefka married businessman Nikolai Popvasilev.

Sports Leadership Role

After she stopped competing, Stefka began working in sports administration. She has been a vice president of the Bulgarian Athletic Federation. She also served as a vice president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. From 2003 to 2005, she was the deputy sports minister of Bulgaria.

On November 11, 2005, Stefka Kostadinova was elected president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. She took over from Ivan Slavkov. He had been removed by the International Olympic Committee for not following their rules.

See also

In Spanish: Stefka Kostadinova para niños

• Bulgaria at the Olympics