Albena Denkova

Albena Denkova
Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski at the 2004 Worlds.
Personal information
Country represented	Bulgaria
Born	(1974-12-03) 3 December 1974 (age 42) Sofia, Bulgaria
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Partner	Maxim Staviski
Former partner	Hristo Nikolov
Former coach	Natalia Linichuk, Gennadi Karponosov, Alexei Gorshkov
Former choreographer	Sergei Petukhov, Natalia Linichuk
Skating club	SC Ice Dance Denkova/Staviski
Began skating	1982
Retired	2007
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	210.44 2003 Trophée Lalique
Comp. dance	41.05 2004 Skate Canada
Original dance	62.79 2005 Worlds
Free dance	108.03 2003 Trophée Lalique
Medal record Figure skating Ice dancing Representing  Bulgaria World Championships 2006 Calgary Ice dancing 2007 Tokyo Ice dancing 2004 Dortmund Ice dancing 2003 Washington, D.C. Ice dancing European Championships 2003 Malmo Ice dancing 2004 Budapest Ice dancing 2007 Warsaw Ice dancing Grand Prix Final 2006–07 St. Petersburg Ice dancing 2003–04 Colorado Sp Ice dancing 2002–03 St. Petersburg Ice dancing 2004–05 Beijing Ice dancing

Albena Petrova Denkova (Bulgarian: Албена Петрова Денкова, born 3 December 1974) is a Bulgarian ice dancer. With partner and fiance Maxim Staviski, she is a two-time (2006–2007) World champion, a two-time (2003–2004) European silver medalist, and the 2006 Grand Prix Final champion. Denkova and Staviski are the first Bulgarians to medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.

Denkova began her athletic career as a gymnast at the age of four, and switched to figure skating at about 8 or 9. She took up ice dancing when she was 12. Her first ice dance partner was Hristo Nikolov but they split up due to different ambitions. In 1996, Denkova had a successful tryout with Maxim Staviski in Moscow and he moved to Sofia to compete with her for Bulgaria. They soon became a couple off-ice, as well. In September 2000, Denkova / Staviski began dividing their time between Sofia and Odintsovo, near Moscow, Russia where they worked with coach Alexei Gorshkov and choreographer Sergei Petukhov.

Denkova / Staviski withdrew from the 2000 European Championships after Staviski fell ill with pneumonia. During the last practice session before the free dance at the 2000 World Championships, Peter Tchernyshev's blade slashed Denkova's leg above her boot, severing two tendons and a muscle and leaving her unable to walk for three months. She eventually returned to training but suffered swelling in her leg. After she asked the U.S. Figure Skating Association if Tchernyshev had insurance to help cover her medical expenses, the organizers withdrew Denkova / Staviski's invitation to 2000 Skate America. Both Denkova and Staviski fell ill with the flu before the 2001 European Championships and she suffered more swelling but they competed at the event and finished 8th, their best result to that date.