Debrecen 2001 - Ivet Lalova (BUL) (© Getty Images)
We are pleased to bring you the third story in a short series of interviews and mini-features focused on some of the new senior names who have made such a dramatic impact on our sport this summer.
We began with an interview last week with Bahrain’s 1500m runner Rashid Ramzi, then brought you a feature about American miler Alan Webb.
Now we publish the story of Ivet Lalova of Bulgaria.
The 20 year-old double European Junior sprint champion whose winning 10.77 (+0.7) run on Saturday 19 June in the women’s 100m at the European Cup, Division One, Group A match in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, is currently the fastest time in the world this summer.
Click below for previous stories –
- Rashid Ramzi
- Alan Webb
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Next in a long line of Bulgarian sprint aces
While much of the rest of the Athletics world seemed surprised by Ivet Lalova’s run in Plovdiv, both the athlete and her coach Konstantin Milanov (a long jumper in the late 1960s) had fully expected such a result.
But who is Ivet Lalova? Is she really such a 'great unknown'?
Lalova has grown up as an athlete without much fuss, her results improving steadily year by year.
She began in sport at the age of ten with swimming and gymnastics, but quickly gave up those distractions and transferred to track & field where she discovered her heart really lay.
Family background in athletics
Her switch to athletics was perhaps only natural because her father Miroslav Lalov, has been a good national sprinter with bests of 10.4 & 21.9 (Bulgarian champion at 200m in 1966). Also her mother, Liliya Petrunova was a talented sprinter with 12.2 and 25.4 personal bests.
In 2000 Lalova won a national title for the first time. That year she became Bulgarian Youth champion at 100m with 12.14 at the championships held in Sofia. Then her great rival and inspiration was Yuliana Belcheva (11.54 & 23.59 - 2002).
Lalova subsequently took fourth place at 200m at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen 2001. This performance convinced her that she had the capabilities to be the best in the world.
Injury
But serious injuries have twice interfered with her development. The first time, in the winter of 2003 she broke a finger on her left hand while training with the shot, and secondly, this winter she kicked a chest which lay on the floor of her bedroom and in the process broke the big toe on her left foot! Nevertheless, Lalova has remained very confident and determined.
European Junior double
Last year she became double European Junior champion at 100 (11.43) and 200m (22.88) in Tampere, Finland. At the 200m her supremacy over the Swede Jenny Ljunggren in second place was 0.47 of a second.
Lalova is the eighth European woman to have won this particular championship double - Lyudmila Zharkova (USSR) - 1968; Bärbel Lockhoff (GDR) - 1977; Kerstin Walther (GDR) – 1979; Kerstin Berend (GDR) – 1985; Diana Dietz – 1987 (GDR); Zhana Tarnopolskaya (UKR) - 1991; Zina Schielke (GER) - 1999.
National records - indoors and out
In 2004, in the indoor season Lalova strode to an indoor national record for 200m of 22.87 (1 Feb). She has also continued well outdoors over the longer sprint, with a 22.36 (+2.1) on 23 May, a 22.86 to win the national championships (6 June) and a 22.58 personal best on 20 June.
At 100m Lalova began her summer with a 11.14 outing at 100m (22 May) and then continued with 11.12 & 11.39 (29 May), 11.06 & 11.33 (30 May) and an 11.32 clocking in rainy Plovdiv (5 June) to win the national title.
...then that 10.77
The following race was her astonishing 10.77 national record run in Plovdiv on 19 June.
“Everything was perfect then,” confirmed Lalova. “The track was very fast, the wind was not so strong, and surprisingly even for me I got an excellent start (reaction time 0.117).”
”I was sure that I can run under eleven seconds, but to run so fast! It will take me time to realise what I have done.”
Lalova became the third Bulgarian women – after Aneliya Nuneva (10.85) and Nadezhda Georgieva (10.95 windy) to run 100m in under 11 seconds. She is now the future of Bulgarina sprinting following on from the illustrious feats of Ivanka Valkova, Lilyana Panayotova, Sofka Popova, Nadezhda Georgieva, Aneliya Nuneva and Petya Pendareva.
University Student
Lalova, who has an older sister named Anna who is not involved with any sport at all, is a second year student in Southwest University in Blagoevgrad, studying “Publishing and Communications”, and has a boyfriend but thinks that it’s too early even to dream about marriage.
Flo-Jo, Hurtis, Davis and Idowu are favourites
Her idol in sprint is Florence Griffith Joyner – she adored Flo-Jo’s running style. From the “current” sprinters Lalova likes Muriel Hurtis and the jumpers Walter Davis and Philips Idowu.
The best is yet to come
But what about the reported suspicions about Lalova's 10.77 run?
“I cannot be responsible for the suspicions and accusations that are published in the press,” confirmed Lalova. “Everyone is free to tell what they may think and feel. But I would like to assure all my rivals that I’ll do all my best to prove that this 10.77 from Plovdiv is not a mystery."
"I’m not going to hurry but the best is yet to come, believe me! You’ll have to be just a little bit patient to see just what I’m able to do on the track.”
Aleksandar Vangelov for the IAAF
Coming soon…a feature interview with Turkish 1500m and 5000m star Elvan Abeylegesse
