Lena - Emerge Tour

The “Pride of Plovdiv,” Bulgarian long jumper Elena “Lena” Atanasova was favored to win gold at the 1981 European Athletics Indoor Championships held in Grenoble, France.  However, a spontaneous groin injury forced her to pull out moments before her first run-up.  In the ensuing confusion, Atanasova seized the opportunity and disappeared into the crowd, implementing her backup plan:  defecting to the West. (get the full story here) acrylic gouache on illustration board 20" x 30" framed  item no. 230 after a photo by Inna Mykytas