Bulgarian wrestler Stanka Zlateva has won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Zlateva, who was pronounced best female wrestler in the world in 2006 and 2007 and is two-time world champion and three-time European champion in wrestling, was considered the most probable gold medal winner in her category long before the beginning of the Olympics. At the finals, however, she was defeated by a touchdown in the first part by the Chinese Jiao Wang.
The Bulgarian won the first points in the fight, but Wang contra attacked and won three double points to go on to win. Zlateva surrendered just two seconds before the end of the first part. Later, she told the journalists that she did not know how much time was left, neither could she hear the advice coming from her coach Simeon Shterev.
Obviously, I had to lose earlier to know how it was, Dnevnik daily quoted Zlateva as saying.
It was a painful lesson, but we learn and move on, Shterev said.
It was Zlatevas first loss since 2006, Dnevnik wrote.
I couldnt stand it psychologically. The tension caused by the expectations had a great impact on me. The obligation to win the title was too much for me, Zlateva said.
This was Bulgarias third medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after the bronze of Yavor Yanakiev in Greco-Roman wrestling and gold of Roumyana Neikova in single sculls rowing.
