Jump to content

Rumyana Neykova

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rumyana Neykova
Personal information
Born (1973-04-06) 6 April 1973 (age 51)
Sofia
Sport
SportRowing
ClubClub Academic
Cherno More Club
Medal record
Women's rowing
Representing  Bulgaria
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney Single sculls
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens Single sculls
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2002 Seville Single sculls
Gold medal – first place 2003 Milan Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 2005 Kaizu Double sculls
Silver medal – second place 2007 Oberschleißheim Single sculls
Bronze medal – third place 1999 St. Catharines Single sculls
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Poznań Double sculls
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Banyoles Single sculls
Silver medal – second place 1990 Aiguebelette-le-lac Single sculls
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2007 Poznań Single sculls

Rumyana Neykova (Bulgarian: Румяна Нейкова; born 6 April 1973 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian rower, who competed at five Olympic Games.

Biography

[edit]

Neykova competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics, the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Summer Olympics, where she won silver in the single sculls, the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she won bronze in the single sculls, and the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won gold in the single sculls. Her current coach is her husband, Svilen Neykov. In 2002, she set the world best time of 7:07:41 in the women's single sculls and was named Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year (a title she earned again in 2008), as well as FISA Female Rower of the Year.

Neykova has been involved in rowing since 1985, when she began training at CSKA Sofia coached Verka Aleksieva. She won gold in the junior women's single sculls at the 1990 World Junior Championships. After several unsuccessful attempts with double sculls and quadruple sculls, she switched to the single sculls and won her first senior medal at the 1999 World Championships. She has two world titles in that discipline; in 2002 and 2003. At the 2005 World Championships, she competed in the double sculls, finishing second with Miglena Markova.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, she narrowly lost the Olympic title to Ekaterina Karsten of Belarus by photo finish. After the Olympics, she took a one-year break, giving birth to her son, Emil Neykov, who has also become a successful rower.

In 2002, Neykova won the Princess Royal Challenge Cup (the premier women's singles sculls event) at the Henley Royal Regatta, rowing for the Club Academic and defeating Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski.[1] At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she finished third in the single sculls. In 2005, she won a second Princess Royal Challenge Cup but rowing for the Cherno More Club this time.

Neykova won her first Olympic title at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

It feels really great. I owe everything to my husband (also coach) and my family who have supported and believed in me.

— Neykova after winning the Olympic title in the women's single sculls at the 2008 Summer Olympics

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Diamond Challenge Sculls, List of past winners". Henley Royal Regatta. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
[edit]