The President of the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation Iliana Raeva said that she is extremely happy with the performance of the competitors at the World Championships for Girls in Sofia, BTA reported.
The national team won four titles and a total of six awards. The Bulgarian ensemble consisting of Raya Bozhilova, Yoana Moteva, Anania Dimitrova, Gabriela Traykova, Ivayla Velkovska and Elena Hristova won two gold and one bronze medal, as well as the team title together with Magdalena Valkova, Alexa Rasheva and Anastasia Kaleva. Valkova has gold in the hoop final and bronze in ribbon.
"I am extremely happy! I am very pleased, the children were fantastic - all those who played and those who made mistakes and did not enter the finals. A revolutionary World Championship, in which 14 countries have finals. You saw what happened on the podium, which countries received medals. All this is a very high assessment of the FIG Technical Committee in the person of Noha Abu Shabana, who made revolutionary changes to the regulations. The geography is expanding too much, the contenders for the podium are now seven or eight. This is the best thing about sport, what would sport be if there was no such competition. What is happening this year with women and girls is a real revolution in rhythmic gymnastics", said Raeva.
"I am very happy, I congratulate the competitors and the coaches. Bulgaria showed exceptional strength! We were very well prepared - all of us who participated. Some did not have that much experience and made mistakes, which is nothing to worry about. The road ahead of them is long. A huge success for Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics! Everyone is very happy for us, everyone congratulates us. I hope this will be an incentive for all children to work, to fill the halls, to multiply rhythmic gymnastics clubs. There is nothing better in these times for children to do sports. Let us be a good example! ", she added.
Raeva said that the federation received an excellent assessment of the organization. The FIG President Morinari Watanabe personally attended the championship.
"It was very difficult, it was a very long competition, with a very long preparation for it. An incredible assessment of the organization of the competition from everyone. For the first time in the history of rhythmic gymnastics, and at a competition for girls, we had the presence of the FIG President, the three vice presidents from Mexico, Turkey and Qatar, three representatives of the Executive Committee, three presidents of continents - Asia, Africa and America. This only speaks of how much they respect Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics. A huge thank you!", concluded the president of the headquarters.
The gymnasts from the ensemble Raya Bozhilova, Yoana Moteva, Anania Dimitrova, Gabriela Traykova, Ivayla Velkovska and Elena Hristova performed excellently and became absolute world champions in the all-around, they have gold in the team and in the final with five hoops, as well as bronze in five pairs of clubs.
"It was certainly difficult for us after the European Championships, but when we left for Varna we managed to train even harder, we did not give up, we were even more motivated for this big competition," said Ivayla Velkovska.
"The coaches are very pleased with us. We could have done better today, but we still have two more medals, so they are happy," added Raya Bozhilova.