Lilyana Tomova

Who is Lilyana Tomova?

Lilyana Tomova-Todorova, born 9 August 1946 is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle distance runner who specialized in the 400, 800 and 1500 metres.

She was born in Plovdiv, and represented the club Trakiya Plovdiv. She won a silver medal in a 4 x 392 metres relay race at the 1974 European Indoor Championships. She also reached the final of the 800 metres event, but did not finish the race. At the 1974 European Championships in the summer she won the gold medal in the 800 metres and silver in the 1500 metres. In winning gold she beat the reigning Olympic 800 metres bronze medallist Gunhild Hoffmeister by 0.67 seconds, but Hoffmeister won the 1500 metres.

Tomova-Todorova continued to win the silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1976 European Indoor Championships. She competed once at the Olympic Games, in 1976. Here she finished second in her initial 800 metres heat, but was knocked out in the semi-finals. She also competed in the 4 x 400 metres relay, but the team did not progress past the first round.

In winning an 800 metres medal at the 1976 European Indoor Championships, she was a part of a strong tradition of Bulgarian 800 metres runners, who won medals at the European Indoor Championships in 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. Other than Tomova-Todorova, these medals were taken by Svetla Zlateva, Stefka Yordanova, Rositsa Pekhlivanova, Nikolina Shtereva and Totka Petrova.