Elizabeth Koleva

Elizabeth Koleva was born in the city of Sofia and began gymnastics at club Slavia. She was one of the Golden Girls of Bulgaria that dominated rhythmic gymnastics in the 1980s.{{Cite web |title=Елизабет Колева |trans-title=Elizabeth Koleva |url=https://www.fbgr.org/bfhg?id=193 |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation |language=bg-bg}} As a member of the national team, she trained under Neshka Robeva, and her personal coach was Krassimira Filipova.{{Cite web |last=Ivanova |first=Kristina |date=3 February 2019 |title=Елизабет Колева: За мен Красимира Филипова беше и все още е като втора майка |trans-title=Elisabeth Koleva: For me Krasimira Filipova was and still is like a second mother |url=https://bnr.bg/post/101076758/elizabet-koleva-za-men-krasimira-filipova-beshe-i-vse-oshte-e-kato-vtora-maika |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Bulgarian National Radio |language=bg}}

At the 1987 European Junior Championships, Koleva won the all-around title, as well as the gold medal in all four apparatus finals (rope, hoop, ball, ribbon) and achieved a maximum score of 40.00 points. She then competed as a senior at the 1987 World Championships, held in her home country of Bulgaria, where Koleva tied with teammate Adriana Dunavska for the silver medal in the all-around behind teammate Bianka Panova.{{Cite web |title=13. World Championships in Varna, Bulgaria (17.-20. September 1987) |url=https://rsg.net/cgi-bin/show?events/1987/wm_varna_87_aa.html#Iall_around |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Rhythmic Gymnastics}} She also won a bronze medal in the ribbon final.

In 1988, Koleva tied with teammate Dunavska and Soviet gymnast Alexandra Timoshenko for the gold at the European Championships, where she was also won a gold medal in rope and bronze in the clubs final. She was considered a potential medal favorite for the 1988 Summer Olympics,{{Cite news |date=11 September 1988 |title=The Seoul Olympics: The Games, From Archery to Yachting: Gymnastics |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/426948137/62745CB7BA75462EPQ/6 |work=The New York Times |pages=A. 13}} but she was not one of the two Bulgarian entries, as Dunavska and Panova competed there instead.{{Cite web |title=Rhythmic Gymnastics at the 1988 Seoul Summer Games: |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1988/RGY/womens-individual.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417162754/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1988/RGY/womens-individual.html |archive-date=17 April 2020 |website=sports-reference.com}}

Koleva retired early at only 16 years old. She became a coach at her home club Slavia and then founded her own club in 2006. She is now a member of the management board of the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics federation. She married Bulgarian national volleyball and later national coach of the men's volleyball team Martin Stoev.{{Cite web |date=12 September 2018 |title=Златните момичета на България, които спираха дъха ни! |trans-title=The golden girls of Bulgaria who take our breath away! |url=https://woman.bg/article/2023080401452098323 |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Woman.bg |language=bg}} They have a son, Eric, who also plays volleyball, and a daughter, Martina.{{Cite web |last= |date=19 April 2016 |title=Купон и гръцки хитове за Мартин Стоев |trans-title=A party and Greek hits for Martin Stoev |url=https://blitz.bg/sport/svezho/kupon-i-grtski-khitove-za-martin-stoev-snimkivideo_318352.html |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=Blitz.bg |language=bulgarian}}

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Category:1972 births

Category:Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts

Category:Living people

Category:Bulgarian emigrants to Italy

Category:Medalists at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships