Ivet Lalova
Encyclopedia
Ivet Lalova is a Bulgaria
n athlete who specialises in the 100 metres
and 200 metres
sprint
events. She is the tenth fastest woman in 100 metres history, the fastest white woman in the world, and finished fourth in the 100 metres and fifth in the 200 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics
. Her career was interrupted for two years between June 2005 and May 2007 due to a leg injury. She is engaged to the Italian sprinter Simone Collio
.
. At the 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships
, she won both the 100 metres and 200 metres events.
, Lalova tied Irina Privalova
as the sixth fastest woman in 100 metres history, recording a time of 10.77 seconds. At the 2004 Summer Olympics
, she placed 4th overall in the women's 100m competition, and 5th in the 200m. At the 2005 European Athletics Indoor Championships, she was awarded a gold medal
for her time of 22.91 seconds in the 200m.
On 14 June 2005, Lalova's career was interrupted when she broke her right femur
after a collision with another athlete while warming up for the 100m sprint at the Athens Super Grand Prix. In June 2006, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee
awarded her the IOC
"Sports and Fair Play" prize for her conduct in the aftermath of the incident, when she declined to seek compensation from her fellow competitor or the event's organizers.
Lalova was appointed to the European Athletic Association
Athletes Commission for 2006–2010 following an election held in August at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
Lalova returned to competitive racing on 29 May 2007, at the Artur Takač Memorial in Belgrade
, winning the 100m in a time of 11.26 seconds. In August 2007 she reached the quarterfinals of the women's 100m sprint at the IAAF World Championship in Osaka
but failed to progress, finishing in fifth place with a time of 11.33 seconds.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
, Lalova was eliminated in the semifinals of the Women's 100m, finishing her heat in seventh place with a time of 11.51 seconds, and was eliminated in the second round of the Women's 200m.
In March 2011 she is moving to Italy joining the group of Professor Roberto Bonomi. Later in 2011 she started her season with 11.08 and 22.66 and after a week won the 100m Diamond League event in Oslo with 11.01 (2.1 m/s). After another week she ran the second best time of her carrier 10"96 (0.8) during the Balkan Championships in Sliven, Bulgaria.
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 athlete who specialises in the 100 metres
100 metres
The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...
and 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
sprint
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
events. She is the tenth fastest woman in 100 metres history, the fastest white woman in the world, and finished fourth in the 100 metres and fifth in the 200 metres at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
. Her career was interrupted for two years between June 2005 and May 2007 due to a leg injury. She is engaged to the Italian sprinter Simone Collio
Simone Collio
Simone Collio is an Italian sprinter who specializes in the 60 and 100 metres. His personal best times are 6.55 seconds in the 60 metres and 10.06 seconds in the 100 metres, the second all time best performance in the Italian ranking of 100 meters, after the 10"01 in altitude of Pietro...
.
Childhood and junior years
Lalova's parents, Miroslav Lalov and Liliya Petrunova, were talented sprinters. Miroslav was the Bulgarian 200 metres champion in 1966. Lalova began competing in swimming and gymnastics at age 10, and soon switched to track and field. She became the Bulgarian Youth champion in the 100 metres competition in 2000, and placed fourth in the 200 metres at the 2001 IAAF World Youth ChampionshipsIAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics
The IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics is a global athletics event comprising track and field events for competitors who are 17 or younger . The event is organized by International Association of Athletics Federations . It is held biannually...
. At the 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships
2003 European Athletics Junior Championships
The 2003 European Athletics Junior Championships was held in Tampere, Finland from 23–27 July 2003. A total of 44 events were contested; 22 by men and 22 by women. Germany had the biggest medal haul with nine golds and a total of 27, closely followed by Russia . Great Britain was third with 17...
, she won both the 100 metres and 200 metres events.
Senior career
On 19 June 2004 in PlovdivPlovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Lalova tied Irina Privalova
Irina Privalova
Irina Anatoljewna Privalova is a Russian athlete.She first competed in the sprint events, winning two Olympic medals in the 100 m and 200 m in 1992 whilst representing the Unified Team. Irina Privalova had been a formidable competitor during most of the 1990s but had not yet won an...
as the sixth fastest woman in 100 metres history, recording a time of 10.77 seconds. At the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, she placed 4th overall in the women's 100m competition, and 5th in the 200m. At the 2005 European Athletics Indoor Championships, she was awarded a gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
for her time of 22.91 seconds in the 200m.
On 14 June 2005, Lalova's career was interrupted when she broke her right femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
after a collision with another athlete while warming up for the 100m sprint at the Athens Super Grand Prix. In June 2006, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee
Bulgarian Olympic Committee
The Bulgarian Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization serving as the National Olympic Committee of Bulgaria and a part of the International Olympic Committee...
awarded her the IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
"Sports and Fair Play" prize for her conduct in the aftermath of the incident, when she declined to seek compensation from her fellow competitor or the event's organizers.
Lalova was appointed to the European Athletic Association
European Athletic Association
The European Athletic Association is the European governing body for the sport of athletics.- History :In 1932, during a meeting of the International Amateur Athletic Federation in Los Angeles, a special committee was designated by the Council with the task of reviewing the conditions for the...
Athletes Commission for 2006–2010 following an election held in August at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
Lalova returned to competitive racing on 29 May 2007, at the Artur Takač Memorial in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, winning the 100m in a time of 11.26 seconds. In August 2007 she reached the quarterfinals of the women's 100m sprint at the IAAF World Championship in Osaka
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
but failed to progress, finishing in fifth place with a time of 11.33 seconds.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, Lalova was eliminated in the semifinals of the Women's 100m, finishing her heat in seventh place with a time of 11.51 seconds, and was eliminated in the second round of the Women's 200m.
In March 2011 she is moving to Italy joining the group of Professor Roberto Bonomi. Later in 2011 she started her season with 11.08 and 22.66 and after a week won the 100m Diamond League event in Oslo with 11.01 (2.1 m/s). After another week she ran the second best time of her carrier 10"96 (0.8) during the Balkan Championships in Sliven, Bulgaria.