Sofia is once again the capital of rhythmic gymnastics, as the world’s elite of this sport will reveal the array of expectations, emotions and desires just a few months before the Olympic Games in Paris.

From April 12 to 14 in the "Arena Sofia" hall, 57 gymnasts and 15 ensembles from 43 countries will compete for medals at the World Cup event in the Bulgarian capital. Most of the best gymnasts will be present with the exception of world champion Darja Varfolomeev from Germany and the ensemble of China.

"The cup will be an indication of what will happen at the Olympics," says Nevena Vladinova, vice president of the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation and judge in the tournament. "I have been preparing for this competition for more than a month. Everything is ready and we expect a very spectacular competition for the medals this weekend," she added.

Four Bulgarian gymnasts compete every day in the training room, as well as in the tournaments before the biggest sports forum in Paris. The big dream of Boryana Kaleyn, Stiliana Nikolova, Eva Brezalieva and Elvira Krasnobayeva is to grab one of the two Olympic quotas. At the world cup in Sofia we will see Boryana Kaleyn and Stiliana Nikolova.

"The four girls are very different and each of them carries something characteristic in themselves, but the best thing is that they all have great abilities,” Neviana Vladinova tells Radio Bulgaria. “Stiliana is very attractive, Boryana is very feminine and artistic, Eva has something in herself, which we call the 'X factor', and Elvira looks like she doesn't even step on the floor while she's performing. They all show what rhythmic gymnastics at an extraordinary level is."

In the ensembles competition, Bulgaria will be represented by Magdalina Minevska, Sofia Ivanova, Kamelia Petrova, Rachel Stoyanov and Margarita Vasileva. After the crisis they experienced in the previous year and the renewal of the team, the girls are in excellent shape and are able to repeat the historic success of Bulgaria’s ensemble from the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, Neviana Vladinova says.

"They are definitely the best in the world and with the hardest compositions, especially this season,” the federation vice-president says. “The only thing that is required of them is to be calm and not make mistakes. So, this is an absolutely attainable goal. At the moment the girls are much more cohesive, more united. As always their coach Vesela Dimitrova has surpassed herself in setting the routines and they look radically different from what we have seen so far. The compositions are very complex, with interesting and attractive elements, performed with great speed - two and a half minutes in which you can't catch your breath. Also, the gymnasts are already a really complete team and when they enter the hall everyone knows that this is Bulgaria and looks at them with great interest."

At the World Cup in Sofia, the Bulgarians in the individual competition will compete for the medals with Italians Sofia Raffaeli and Milena Baldassarri, with Daria Atamanov and Daniela Munits from Israel, as well as with Victoria Onoprienko and Taisiia Onofriichuk from Ukraine. In the ensembles competition, Bulgaria will try to overcome the teams of Israel, Italy, Japan, Brazil, and Ukraine.

"The strength of Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics is well-known and it lies in the good compositions, in the musical combinations and in the attractiveness," Neviana Vladinova points out. She says that in the training process before the Olympics, the emphasis is laid on the perfection of the performance. "Of course, it's not too late for some cosmetic changes in the performance," she adds.

Meanwhile, our gymnasts are doing their best in pursuit of the big goal of participating in the Olympic Games and climbing to the top. Before Paris, however, they have three more World Cup events ahead of them, the European Championships in Budapest, and the European Cup in Baku.

But first comes the performance in front of a native audience. However, this year's World Cup will be different not only because it is held in the Olympic year, but also because of the support to the team of the future - the children of Bulgaria. On the first day of the tournament, all ticket proceeds will be donated to the cause of UNICEF.

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: sofiaworldcup2024.com, facebook.com/BGRGfederation, BTA