Stefka Kostadinova

At a glance

Source: Wikipedia: Stefka Kostadinova¹

Early career

Born in Plovdiv, Kostadinova attended a specialist sports school. She was introduced to the high jump at an athletics meet in Sofia when she was in Year Six, aged 12 or 13. She competed from 1985 to 1997, representing Bulgaria in the event.¹

In 1987, she set a women’s world record of 2.09 metres at the World Championships in Rome. That mark remained the world record until July 2024, when Yaroslava Mahuchikh broke it. Kostadinova set seven world records in total: three outdoors and four indoors.¹

Major achievements

Kostadinova won the Olympic high jump at Atlanta in 1996, clearing 2.05 metres and setting an Olympic record. She had won silver at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She also won the outdoor World Championships in 1987 and 1995, and the World Indoor Championships five times between 1985 and 1997.¹

Her other titles included the European outdoor championship in 1986 and European indoor championships in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1994. She was voted Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year in 1985, 1987, 1995 and 1996. She jumped over 2.00 metres 197 times.¹

Later career

Kostadinova had a son, Nikolay, in 1995, several months before winning the World Championships that year. She stopped competing in major events after the 1997 World Indoor Championships. She officially ended her athletic career in 1999. In 2007, she married businessman Nikolai Popvasilev.¹

After retiring from competition, she moved into sports administration. She served as vice president of the Bulgarian Athletic Federation and the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, and as Bulgaria’s deputy sports minister from 2003 to 2005. Elected president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee on 11 November 2005, she held the role until 2025.¹

She was president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee from 2005 to 2025.¹