[2][3] Born in the village of Stambolovo in the southwestern part of Bulgaria, Velichkov started his active sports career in sixth grade, when he joined the local cross-country skiing club.
These finishes were not matched by any other male Bulgarian biathlete but his contemporary Spas Slatev until the 2014–15 season, where Krasimir Anev finished 4th in a mass start race in Oberhof, and Vladimir Iliev finished 6th twice during the 2015 World Championships in Kontiolahti.
After his retirement from professional sports, Velichkov opened his own carpentry workshop.
In 2014, he entered the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Biathlon Federation.
[2] All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union.