Nikoleta Stefanova

Nikoleta Stefanova (also written Stefanova, Bulgarian Николета Стефанова; born April 22, 1984 in Teteven ) is a Bulgarian-born Italian table tennis player. She was twice runner-up in doubles at the European Championships.

Youth

The left-hander Nikoleta Stefanova was born in Bulgaria. Her mother had played in the junior national team, her father was a Bulgarian top players. 1986 the family moved to Italy, first to Sicily, and later to Milan, where her father worked as a trainer and she promoted in her sporting career. With five years Stefanova began with the table tennis sport. International she appeared always on for Italy.

Initial successes they achieved in their youth. In the European Youth Championships in 1997 she finished second in singles. In 1998, she won the doubles title with Cornelia Vaida (Croatia ), 2000 with Sandra Paovic (Croatia).

Adult

From 1999 to 2010 Stefanova was eleven times nominated for the World Championships. They never came near of medal ranks. In Europe Top 12 tournament she won in 2007 to second place behind Li Jiao.

From 2003 to 2009 five times Stefanova took part in the European Championship. In 2003 she became European Team Champion with Italy, the single reached the semi-finals. The following European Championships she always won a medal in doubles with Wenling Tan Monfardini: bronze in 2005 and 2007 and silver in 2008 and 2009.

2004 and 2008 took Stefanova part in the Summer Olympic Games. In the ITTF World Ranking it occupies in July 2011 Rank 77 Your best placement they had in March 2007 23 rank

National success in Italy

Stefanova played until 2001 when San Mauro club team and then moved to Germany for a season for Team Heidi Photo Coesfeld in the Bundesliga. Later, she returned to Italy to Sterilgarda TT Castel Goffredo, with the women's team from 2003 to 2006 it six times in a row, the Italian team championship won. 2006 and 2007, the team was also the winner in the Champions League. Numerous titles she won in the individual competitions of the Italian championship:

• Single 6 times: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010
• Double 6 times: 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009
• Mixed 6 times: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010

Results from the ITTF database