| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1973-04-06)6 April 1973 (age 52) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Rowing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Club Academic Cherno More Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rumyana Neykova (Bulgarian:Румяна Нейкова; born 6 April 1973 inSofia) is a Bulgarianrower, who competed at five Olympic Games.
Neykova competed at the1992 Summer Olympics, the1996 Summer Olympics, the2000 Summer Olympics, where she won silver in the single sculls, the2004 Summer Olympics, where she won bronze in the single sculls, and the2008 Summer Olympics, where she won gold in the single sculls. Her current coach is her husband,Svilen Neykov. In 2002, she set theworld best time of 7:07:41 in the women's single sculls and was namedBulgarian Sportsperson of the Year (a title she earned again in 2008), as well asFISA Female Rower of the Year. She was also named theBTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year in 2007.[1]
Neykova has been involved in rowing since 1985, when she began training atCSKA 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 withMiglena Markova.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics, she narrowly lost the Olympic title toEkaterina Karsten ofBelarus byphoto 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 thePrincess Royal Challenge Cup (the premier women's singles sculls event) at theHenley Royal Regatta, rowing for the Club Academic and defeatingKatrin Rutschow-Stomporowski.[2] 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
