In winning an 800 metres medal at the 1975 European Indoor Championships, she was a part of a strong tradition of Bulgarian 800 metres runners, who won medals at the European Indoor Championships in 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979. Other than Pekhlivanova, these medals were taken by Svetla Zlateva (1972), Stefka Yordanova (1973), Nikolina Shtereva (1976, 1979), Lilyana Tomova (1976) and Totka Petrova (1977, 1978).