Petya Toneva Strashilova ( bg, Петя Тонева Страшилова, born 18 March 1965) is a retired

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 and

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

. She was born in

Stara Zagora Stara Zagora ( bg, Стара Загора, ) is the sixth-largest city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province. Name The name comes from the Slavic root ''star'' ("old") and the name of the medieva ...

, and represented the clubs

Beroe Stara Zagora Beroe ( bg, Берое) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Stara Zagora, that competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded in 1916 under the name ''Vere ...

, Levski-Spartak Club and Sofia. She competed at the 1995 World Indoor Championships, the 1995 World Championships, the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

(both

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the ...

and

) and the 1997 World Championships without reaching the final round. She became Bulgarian 400 metres champion in 1995, 1997 and 1998. She became 800 metres champion in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998, and 1500 metres champion in 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1994. She also became Bulgarian indoor champion in the 400 metres in 1990, 1994, 1995 and 1997 and in the 1500 metres in 1997. Her personal best time in the 800 metres was 1:59.38 minutes, achieved in May 1998 in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

. She also had 2:34.8 minutes in the 1000 metres, achieved in July 1995 in Sofia,World women's all-time best 1500m
(last updated 2001) and 4:11.62 minutes in the 1500 metres, achieved in 1995.

References

1965 births Living people Sportspeople from Stara Zagora Bulgarian female middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for Bulgaria Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics World Athletics Championships athletes for Bulgaria 20th-century Bulgarian women 20th-century Bulgarian people 21st-century Bulgarian women 21st-century Bulgarian people {{Bulgaria-athletics-bio-stub