Nikolina Shtereva
Encyclopedia
Nikolina Pavlova Shtereva is a retired Bulgaria
n middle distance runner who specialiced in the 800
and 1500 metres
. She is best known for her silver medal in 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics
, and at the European Indoor Championships she won gold medals in 1976 and 1979 and a bronze medal in 1981. She won fourteen national titles (outdoor; as well as seven indoor) in Bulgaria, and is still the Bulgarian record
holder in the 800 metres.
, and represented the clubs CSKA
and Septemvrisko Zname during her career. In the 1970s and 1980s she was a prolific competitor at the European Indoor Championships. She finished sixth at the 1975 European Indoor Championships, clocking in only 2:20.3 seconds, but then won the gold medal at the 1976 European Indoor Championships. She edged out countrywoman Lilyana Tomova
with 0.4 seconds, and Bulgaria almost managed a gold-silver-bronze constellation, but Ivanka Bonova
lost the bronze medal to Gisela Klein. She won another gold medal at the 1979 European Indoor Championships, 0.3 seconds ahead of Anita Weiss
, and finished sixth at the 1982 European Indoor Championships. She also won the 800 metres event at the 1979 IAAF World Cup
.
In winning her medals at the 1976 and 1979 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, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. Other than Shtereva, these medals were taken by Svetla Zlateva
(1972), Stefka Yordanova
(1973), Rositsa Pekhlivanova
(1975), Lilyana Tomova-Todorova
(1976) and Totka Petrova
(1977, 1978).
Shtereva also competed in the Olympic Games twice, in 1976
in Montreal
and 1980
in Moscow
. Both times she competed in both 800 and 1500 metres. In the 1976 Olympic 800 metres event she started by finishing second in the initial heat with 2:01.02 minutes, then second in the semi-final with 1:57.35 minutes. In the final she won the silver medal behind Soviet Tatyana Kazankina
(gold) but ahead of East German Elfi Zinn
(bronze). Kazankina set a new world record
of 1:54.94 minutes, while Shtereva clocked in 1:55.42 minutes. The previous world record was 1:56.0 minutes, achieved by Valentina Gerasimova in June the same year. In the 1976 Olympic 1500 metres event Shtereva reached the final as well, after a fourth place in the heat and a second place in the semi-final. In the final round she finished fourth with 4:06.57 minutes, despite having clocked in 4:02.33 minutes in the semi-final. Kazankina won the gold again; Shtereva was 0.48 seconds too late for the bronze medal.
In the 1980 Olympic 800 metres event she achieved similar results in all the three rounds. She first ran in 1:58.83 minutes to finish third in round one, and in 1:58.87 minutes to finish fourth in the semi-final. In the final she ran in 1:58.71 to finish seventh. In the 1980 Olympic 1500 metres event she ran in 4:08.25 minutes in the first round, better than in the equivalent round of the 1976 Olympics, but this time it was not enough to progress from the heats. She later finished seventh in the final at the 1982 European Championships.
in 1974, 800 metres champion in 1974, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989, 1500 metres champion 1980, 1985 and 1986 and 10,000 metres champion in 1986. In the 800 metres she established a long-standing championship record with her 1:57.2 minutes, achieved in 1979. After Shtereva's last national championship victory in the 800 metres, the hegemony was taken over by Petya Strashilova
who won every year but one (1996) between 1990 and 1998. She also became Bulgarian indoor champion in the 800 metres in 1974, 1976, 1979, 1980 and 1987, in the 1500 metres in 1976 and 1987 and in the 3000 metres
in 1986. She achieved championship records all three events, with 2:01.1 minutes, 4:09.80 minutes and 9:06.61 minutes respectively; the two latter times were beat in 2000 by Daniela Yordanova
, with 4:08.53 minutes and 8:52.90 minutes respectively.
in the 800 metres. She also had 2:33.8 minutes in the 1000 metres, achieved in July 1976 in Sofia
, 4:30.26 minutes in the mile run
, achieved in June 1988 in Bratislava
, 9:00.38 minutes in the 3000 metres, achieved in August 1978 in Thessaloniki
, and 15:37.49 minutes in the 5000 metres
, achieved in May 1985 in Budapest
.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n middle distance runner who specialiced in the 800
800 metres
The 800 meter race is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle distance track event. The 800 meter is run over two laps of the track and has always been an Olympic event. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200 meter track, therefore requiring four laps...
and 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...
. She is best known for her silver medal in 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
, and at the European Indoor Championships she won gold medals in 1976 and 1979 and a bronze medal in 1981. She won fourteen national titles (outdoor; as well as seven indoor) in Bulgaria, and is still the Bulgarian record
Bulgarian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Bulgaria maintained by the Bulgarian Athletic Federation .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:# = not recognised by federation-External links:* * * * *...
holder in the 800 metres.
International career
She was born in SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, and represented the clubs CSKA
CSKA Sofia (sports club)
CSKA Sofia is a Bulgarian sports society from Sofia, Bulgaria, which was founded on May 5, 1948 as Septemvri pri CDV, аfter the unification of the two sports clubs from the city, Chavdar and Septemvri...
and Septemvrisko Zname during her career. In the 1970s and 1980s she was a prolific competitor at the European Indoor Championships. She finished sixth at the 1975 European Indoor Championships, clocking in only 2:20.3 seconds, but then won the gold medal at the 1976 European Indoor Championships. She edged out countrywoman Lilyana Tomova
Lilyana Tomova-Todorova
Lilyana Tomova-Todorova , born 9 August 1946) is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle distance runner who specialized in the 400, 800 and 1500 metres....
with 0.4 seconds, and Bulgaria almost managed a gold-silver-bronze constellation, but Ivanka Bonova
Ivanka Bonova
Ivanka Bonova is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle distance runner who specialized in the 400 and 800 metres.She was born in Raduil, and represented the clubs Balkan and Levski-Spartak Club. In the 800 metres she finished fourth at the 1976 European Indoor Championships and seventh at the...
lost the bronze medal to Gisela Klein. She won another gold medal at the 1979 European Indoor Championships, 0.3 seconds ahead of Anita Weiss
Anita Marg
Anita Marg, née Barkusky, previously married Weiß and Kehl is a retired East German athlete who specialized in the 800 metres and later also 400 metres hurdles...
, and finished sixth at the 1982 European Indoor Championships. She also won the 800 metres event at the 1979 IAAF World Cup
1979 IAAF World Cup
The 2nd IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations, held on August 24–26, 1979, at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada.-Men:|width="50"| ...
.
In winning her medals at the 1976 and 1979 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, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. Other than Shtereva, these medals were taken by Svetla Zlateva
Svetla Zlateva
Svetla Stefanova Zlateva 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 latter event.-Career:...
(1972), Stefka Yordanova
Stefka Yordanova
Stefka Yordanova 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 Championships and won a bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. She then won the 800 metres gold medal at the 1973 European Indoor...
(1973), Rositsa Pekhlivanova
Rositsa Pekhlivanova
Rositsa Pekhlivanova is a retired Bulgarian middle distance runner who specialized in the 1500 metres.She was born in Sliven, and represented the clubs Sliven, Levski-Spartak Club and Tundzha Yambol during her career. She won the bronze medal in the 800 metres at the 1975 European Indoor...
(1975), Lilyana Tomova-Todorova
Lilyana Tomova-Todorova
Lilyana Tomova-Todorova , born 9 August 1946) is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle distance runner who specialized in the 400, 800 and 1500 metres....
(1976) and Totka Petrova
Totka Petrova
Totka Nikolaeva Petrova is a retired female middle distance runner who represented Bulgaria in the 1970s and the early 1980s. She specialized in the 800 and 1500 metres, and won numerous international medals. She is still the Bulgarian 1500 metres record holder.-Career:She was born in Yambol, and...
(1977, 1978).
Shtereva also competed in the Olympic Games twice, in 1976
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and 1980
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Both times she competed in both 800 and 1500 metres. In the 1976 Olympic 800 metres event she started by finishing second in the initial heat with 2:01.02 minutes, then second in the semi-final with 1:57.35 minutes. In the final she won the silver medal behind Soviet Tatyana Kazankina
Tatyana Kazankina
Tatyana Vasilyevna Kazankina is a Soviet/Russian former runner who set seven world records and won a total of three gold medals at the Olympic Games. She was also awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and the title Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR in 1976...
(gold) but ahead of East German Elfi Zinn
Elfi Zinn
Elfi Zinn, née Rost is a German middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres.She won the silver medal at the 1973 European Indoor Championships and the bronze medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics....
(bronze). Kazankina set a new world record
World records in athletics
World records in the sport of athletics are ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. Athletics records comprise the best performances in the sports of track and field, road running and racewalking....
of 1:54.94 minutes, while Shtereva clocked in 1:55.42 minutes. The previous world record was 1:56.0 minutes, achieved by Valentina Gerasimova in June the same year. In the 1976 Olympic 1500 metres event Shtereva reached the final as well, after a fourth place in the heat and a second place in the semi-final. In the final round she finished fourth with 4:06.57 minutes, despite having clocked in 4:02.33 minutes in the semi-final. Kazankina won the gold again; Shtereva was 0.48 seconds too late for the bronze medal.
In the 1980 Olympic 800 metres event she achieved similar results in all the three rounds. She first ran in 1:58.83 minutes to finish third in round one, and in 1:58.87 minutes to finish fourth in the semi-final. In the final she ran in 1:58.71 to finish seventh. In the 1980 Olympic 1500 metres event she ran in 4:08.25 minutes in the first round, better than in the equivalent round of the 1976 Olympics, but this time it was not enough to progress from the heats. She later finished seventh in the final at the 1982 European Championships.
Domestic titles
Shtereva became Bulgarian champion in the 400 metres400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
in 1974, 800 metres champion in 1974, 1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989, 1500 metres champion 1980, 1985 and 1986 and 10,000 metres champion in 1986. In the 800 metres she established a long-standing championship record with her 1:57.2 minutes, achieved in 1979. After Shtereva's last national championship victory in the 800 metres, the hegemony was taken over by Petya Strashilova
Petya Strashilova
Petya Toneva Strashilova is a retired Bulgarian middle distance runner who specialized in the 800 and 1500 metres.She was born in Stara Zagora, and represented the clubs Beroe Stara Zagora, Levski-Spartak Club and Sofia...
who won every year but one (1996) between 1990 and 1998. She also became Bulgarian indoor champion in the 800 metres in 1974, 1976, 1979, 1980 and 1987, in the 1500 metres in 1976 and 1987 and in the 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
in 1986. She achieved championship records all three events, with 2:01.1 minutes, 4:09.80 minutes and 9:06.61 minutes respectively; the two latter times were beat in 2000 by Daniela Yordanova
Daniela Yordanova
Daniela Yordanova is a Bulgarian middle distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. She tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition doping test in Sofia on 13 June 2008, which eventually got her kicked out of the 2008 Summer Olympics...
, with 4:08.53 minutes and 8:52.90 minutes respectively.
Personal bests
The times achieved by Shtereva at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1:55.42 in the 800 metres and 4:02.33 in the 1500 metres, remained her personal best times. She still holds the Bulgarian recordBulgarian records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in Bulgaria maintained by the Bulgarian Athletic Federation .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:# = not recognised by federation-External links:* * * * *...
in the 800 metres. She also had 2:33.8 minutes in the 1000 metres, achieved in July 1976 in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, 4:30.26 minutes in the mile run
Mile run
The mile run is a middle-distance foot race which is among the more popular events in track running.The history of the mile run event began in England, where it was used as a distance for gambling races...
, achieved in June 1988 in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
, 9:00.38 minutes in the 3000 metres, achieved in August 1978 in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, and 15:37.49 minutes in the 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
, achieved in May 1985 in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.