Bulgarian biathlete Milena Todorova could not hide her disappointment, despite taking a prestigious fourth place in the 7.5 km sprint at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, BTA reports. The 28-year-old athlete showed excellent speed on the course, but a mistake in the prone shooting deprived her of a sure medal.
„I don't know exactly how I feel. I'm both happy and sad. Fourth place is the hardest in sports, but that's the situation. Still, this is a step forward and I hope to continue to build on it“, Todorova said through tears.
In the 12.5 km pursuit, she will start with a 40-second deficit to the leader, with the ambition to attack a place on the podium. With her performance, Todorova equaled the best Bulgarian Olympic ranking in the sprint – the achievement of Nadezhda Alexieva from the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Lora Hristova (pictured) also shared her opinion, who was also satisfied with her performance. “I feel good. I think I had a very strong race. In the last lap, I gave my all to ensure the best possible position for the pursuit. Yes, I could have shot cleanly from the prone position, but in our sport there is no “could have“. I could have been ahead, but I could have been behind, so I'm happy“, commented the 22-year-old biathlete.
She also highlighted the excellent work of the service team: “The skis were extremely fast. On the descents I was ahead of the competitors around me – I felt I had an advantage.“
Hristova also noted the visible progress of the national team, pointing out that the results – including Todorova's fourth place – are proof of the team's development and give reason for optimism before the next start.