Ekaterina Dafovska

Born on 28 November 1975 in Chepelare, Bulgaria, Ekaterina Dafovska is a former biathlete. At the age of 15 she has made her decision to take up biathlon. Her first career success came in 1993 where she won a bronze medal at the Youth World Championships. Later, Dafovska won 2 bronze medals in the 15 km Individual race at the World Championships in 1995 and 1997. But the biggest success in her career was winning the gold Olympic medal in the Individual event in Nagano in 1998. She is the first Bulgarian biathlete ever to win an Olympic gold in an individual event in history. Katja Dafovska was awarded Sports Woman of the Year in 1998. She participated in the Olympics in Salt Lake City where placed 5th in the Individual, 15th in the sprint, 10th in the pursuit and 4th in the relay. During the 2004 European Championships in Minsk, Dafovska won a gold medal in her favorite discipline - the Individual. The 2006 Olympics in Turin were her last games. She finished 11th in the Individual, 33rd in the sprint, 28th in the pursuit, 8th in the mass start and in the relay. After the 2005-2006 season retired from the sport. Currently she is the president of the Bulgarian biathlon federation. Dafovska is married, has two sons and lives in her native hometown of Chepelare. She will always stay in the hearts of her fans as the best Bulgarian biathlete of all time.