Elitsa Yankova

Elitsa Yankova

File:Wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Stadnik vs Yankova 8.jpg Yankova (green) against Mariya Stadnik during the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born	18 September 1994 (1994-09-18) (age 29) Varna, Bulgaria
Height	153 cm (5.02 ft)
Medal record Women's Freestyle wrestling Representing Bulgaria Summer Olympics 2016 Rio de Janeiro 48 kg European Championships 2016 Riga 48 kg European Games 2015 Baku 48 kg

Elitsa Atanasova Yankova (Bulgarian: Елица Атанасова Янкова, 18 September 1994) is a Bulgarian freestyle wrestler. She participated in the 48 kg competition in 2016 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal. This became the first 2016 Olympics medal for Bulgaria.

As an adolescent, Yankova had ambitions for short-distance running in track and field, but later switched to freestyle wrestling. Her father, Atanas Yankov, is a former Greco-Roman wrestler.

In 2009, Yankova, though she failed to secure a spot at the European Championships, was noticed by coach Petar Kasabov, who convinced her to start training under him with the Levski sports club. In 2013, she became a junior world champion. She also holds a number of national titles. In 2015, Yankova damaged her spine, but recovered and returned to wrestling.

Yankova's hobby is folk dancing. She is a student at the South-West University.