A year ago, at the finals of the 30th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Baku, the Bulgarian national anthem was played to the pride of all Bulgarians. This success has prompted us to talk to the head coach of the national group team Ina Ananieva to comment on the performance of the gymnasts in Baku and on the team’s plans for the near future. Bulgaria won three medals in Baku, one of them gold in the group competition. This has spoiled the gold collection of Russia which has snatched 8 out of 9 sets of gold medals. The brilliant performance of the Bulgarian girls in the 10 clubs event, their amazing technique and coordination was acknowledged by the judges and the audience alike and this meant gold for Bulgaria. The passionate exercise with the balls and ribbons won the admiration of the audience, but unfortunately it was given the bronze by the judges. Boryana Kaleyn won the bronze in the junior group ball final. The Baku championships in which the leading rhythmic gymnasts of the world took part was of major importance as a run-up to the 2016 Olympic Games. Starting on 1 July the girls will resume work for upcoming competitions this summer.

“Our targets are always high, and we always aim to win medals”, Ina Ananieva says. “We are going to take part in the World Cup competition in Bulgaria in early August, and we are looking forward to it, because the Bulgarian girls have been champions for three years in a row. I hope that they will be the champions this year too. Later on our schedule includes a World Cup event in Kazan and the World Championships in Izmir in September.”

The international reputation of the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts suggests that even in times of financial austerity success is possible based on strong will, ambition and adequate support from the federation.

 “I am grateful to the Bulgarian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation in the person of Iliyana Raeva who has made sure we could work normally. We are financially secure, there is nothing to complain about. We have taken part in all important events in rhythmic gymnastics across the world”, the head coach of the Bulgarian group team of rhythmic gymnastics said.

Now let us find out how Mrs Ananieva sees the development of rhythmic gymnastics in the near future and whether it stands good chances of repeating its golden times of the 1980s and 1990s.   

“I hope that it will be possible. Hopefully, the successful gymnasts will provide an inspiring example to the young girls trained at various clubs. Back in 2011 when the girls became world champions in Montpelier, many little girls enrolled for rhythmic gymnastics training”, Iva Ananieva recalls. “Now both group and individual gymnasts have been progressing steadily. Everybody thought that after Bulgaria’s best gymnast in the recent years Silvia Miteva put an end to her career, a gap would yawn. Fortunately, the girls did very well in Baku and especially the juniors, one of whom won a bronze. This had not happened since 2008. So I believe that Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics is making headway and even greater successes are to come.”

English Daniela Konstantinova