Yana Kasova (; born 13 August 1981) is a Bulgarian former track and field athlete who specialised in the 100 metres hurdles. Her personal best for the event is 12.75 seconds. She was the bronze medallist at the 2002 European Athletics Championships.
Career She made her international debut at age sixteen at the 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics, competing in the heats only. She returned two years later at the 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics and was a semi-finalist.Yana Kasova. IAAF. Retrieved 15 October 2019. That same year she won the national title in the 100 m hurdles and the 60 metres hurdles indoors. She failed to defend these titles in 2001 and did not have much success internationally either, as she did not get past the heats at the 2001 European Athletics U23 Championships.European Athletics U23 Championships Ostrava 2011 – STATISTICS HANDBOOK – 3rd European Athletics U23 Championships – Amsterdam, Netherlands – 12.-15.7.2001. European Athletics Association, pp. 30–42.
Kasova won the third and last of her national titles at the Bulgarian Indoor Championships at the start of 2002. Her career breakthrough came at the 2002 European Cup B Final, where she won the 100 m hurdles in a new personal best of 12.75 seconds.European Cup B Final and First League. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 15 October 2019. This time ranked her tenth in the world for that year, and third among Europeans.100 Metres Hurdles – women – senior – outdoor – 2002. IAAF. Retrieved on 3 December 2015.Yana Kasova. Track and Field Brinkster. Retrieved 15 October 2019. Desislava Mutafchieva was the winner at the Bulgarian Championships that year, but at the 2002 European Athletics Championships Kasova came away with the bronze medal. She again dipped under thirteen seconds and was beaten only by Spanish-Nigerian Glory Alozie and Ukraine's Olena Krasovska.European Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
The following year she ran 12.95 seconds at the start of June (ultimately ranking in the global top forty that season).100 Metres Hurdles – women – senior – outdoor – 2003. IAAF. Retrieved 15 October 2019. However, this proved to be the last time she ran that fast, as she suffered a severe injury to her left foot during training, breaking the bone and having surgery as a result.Vangelov, Aleksander (17 August 2003). Bulgarian team robbed by injury. IAAF. Retrieved 15 October 2019. She attempted a return, but additional complications forced her to retire from athletics.Дачев и Касова пропускат световното . Monitor (24 June 2005). Retrieved 15 October 2019.
She finished her career ranking fourth on the all-time Bulgarian rankings for the 100 m hurdles, behind world record breakers Yordanka Donkova, Ginka Zagorcheva and world medallist Svetla Dimitrova.100 Metres Hurdles – women – senior – outdoor All-Time Best. IAAF. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
National titles Bulgarian Athletics Championships 100 m hurdles: 2000Bulgarian Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 15 October 2019. Bulgarian Indoor Championships 60 m hurdles: 2000, 2002Bulgarian Indoor Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
International competitions 1998World Junior ChampionshipsAnnecy, France6th (heats)100 m hurdles13.982000World Junior ChampionshipsSantiago, Chile8th (semis)100 m hurdles13.682001European U23 ChampionshipsAmsterdam, Netherlands3rd (heats)100 m hurdles13.752002European Cup B FinalBanská Bystrica, Slovakia1st100 m hurdles12.75European ChampionshipsMunich, Germany3rd100 m hurdles12.91
See also List of European Athletics Championships medalists (women)
References