Pavlina Filipova

Born Pavlina Ivanova Filipova on 20 December 1975 in Berkovitsa, Bulgaria, she is a former biathlete. Pavlina made her World Cup debut in 1997. Her first race was the sprint in Oberhof, where she placed 44th. One year later, 1998 her results improved as Filipova took 6th place in the sprint in Antholz-Anterselva. That same year was her biggest career success. During the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, she finished 4th in the 15 km Individual event only 0.2 seconds from the 3rd position and behind the gold medalist, her teammate and compatriot Ekaterina Dafovska. In 1999 Pavlina registered her only World Cup podium - 3rd place in the Individual in Brezno-Osrblie. In the overall, she finished 15th. During the 2001 World Championships in Pokljuka, she took 4th place in the mass start. Again in 2002 at the Olympics in Salt Lake City, Pavlina has to be satisfied with the 4th place with the Bulgarian relay team which were only 6.1 seconds from the bronze medal. She has finished twice 6th in the sprints in Hochfilzen and Ostersund during the 2002-2003 season. At the 2003 World Championships in Khanty-Mansyisk, Filipova placed 35th in the Individual, 11th in the sprint, 15th in the pursuit, 17th in the mass start and 7th with the relay. During the 2004-2005 season, Pavlina finished 6th in the pursuit in Oberhof and 8th in the mass start in Khanty-Mansyisk. At her last Winter Olympic Games, in 2006 in Turin her performance was 43rd in the Individual, 46th in the sprint, 32nd in the pursuit and 8th in the relay. Filipova was awarded a golden badge by the Bulgarian Olympic Committee in 2006 after the games. Later she achieved a 4th place in the Individual in Brezno-Osrblie during the 2005-2006 season. After that Pavlina Filipova took part in another 3 World Championships events in 2007 in Antholz-Anterselva, 2008 in Ostersund and 2009 in Pyeongchang. Her best result from all Championships is 13th in the Individual in 2009. As soon as the 2008-2009 season was over, she announced her retirement. Pavlina Filipova will remain as one of the greatest Bulgarian biathletes in history with her excellent shooting and ski style.