Rositsa Pekhlivanova ( bg, Росица Пехливанова, born 31 January 1955) is a retired

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

middle-distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who specialized in the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athle ...

. She was born in

Sliven Sliven ( bg, Сливен ) is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality in Northern Thrace. Sliven is famous for its heroic Haiduts who fought against the Ottoman Tu ...

, and represented the clubs Sliven, Levski-Spartak Club and Tundzha Yambol during her career. She won the bronze medal in the

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

at the 1975 European Indoor Championships, losing out to the silver medalist by only 0.1 seconds. The next year she won the bronze medal in 1500 metres at the 1976 European Indoor Championships. She was only 0.1 seconds behind the silver medalist Natalia Mărășescu, but beat the fourth placer with a full six seconds. She competed at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

without reaching the final. In round one, only the top four runners in each of the initial heats progressed, and Pekhlivanova finished sixth in her heat with 4:13.11 minutes. In winning an 800 metres medal at the 1975 European Indoor Championships, she was a part of a strong tradition of Bulgarian 800 metres runners, who won medals at the European Indoor Championships in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrati ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd government). * January 6 – ...

and

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

. Other than Pekhlivanova, these medals were taken by

Svetla Zlateva Svetla Stefanova Zlateva ( bg, Светла Стефанова Златева; born 25 February 1952) is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle-distance runner who specialized in the 400 and 800 metres. She is a former world record holder in the ...

(1972),

Stefka Yordanova Stefka Yordanova ( bg, Стефка Йорданова; 9 January 1947 – 16 January 2011) was a Bulgarian sprinter and middle-distance runner who specialized in the 400 and 800 metres. Born in Burgas, she ran at the 1971 European Indoor Champ ...

(1973), Nikolina Shtereva (1976, 1979), Lilyana Tomova (1976) and Totka Petrova (1977, 1978). Pekhlivanova became Bulgarian indoor champion in the 1500 metres in 1974 and in 800 metres in 1975. She also became Bulgarian champion in

cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

in 1974, 1977, 1979 and 1981. Her personal best time in the 1500 metres was 4.09.0 minutes, achieved in August 1975 in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

. She also had 2.35.2 minutes in the

1000 metres The 1000 metres is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. The 1000 yards, an imperial alternative, was sometimes also contested. All-time top 25 *h = hand timed *i = indoor performance *A = affected by ...

, achieved in July 1976 in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. ...

.World women's all-time best 1000m
(last updated 2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pekhlivanova, Rositsa 1955 births Living people Bulgarian female middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for Bulgaria Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Olympics Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade bronze medalists for Bulgaria Sportspeople from Sliven Medalists at the 1975 Summer Universiade 21st-century Bulgarian women 21st-century Bulgarian people 20th-century Bulgarian women 20th-century Bulgarian people