| Elitsa Yankova | |
| Birth Place: | Varna, Bulgaria |
| Height: | 153cm (60inches) |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Elitsa Atanasova Yankova (Bulgarian: Елица Атанасова Янкова, 18 September 1994) is a Bulgarian freestyle wrestler. She participated in the 48 kg competition in 2016 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal.[1] This became the first 2016 Olympics medal for Bulgaria.[2]
As an adolescent, Yankova had ambitions for short-distance running in track and field, but later switched to freestyle wrestling. Her father, Atanas Yankov, is a former Greco-Roman wrestler.[3]
In 2009, Yankova, though she failed to secure a spot at the European Championships, was noticed by coach Petar Kasabov, who convinced her to start training under him with the Levski sports club. In 2013, she became a junior world champion. She also holds a number of national titles.[3] In 2015, Yankova damaged her spine, but recovered and returned to wrestling.[3]
Yankova's hobby is folk dancing. She is a student at the South-West University.[3]