Bulgaria’s 72-strong delegation of Olympic athletes for Beijing left Sofia on July 20 with promises of a record 100 000 leva cash prize for each gold medal won at the Games. However, the likelihood that the country would improve its medal haul of 12, including two gold, from the previous Games in Athens took a strong hit last month when the entire weightlifting team tested positive for doping. Even though a repeat of the success in Seoul two decades ago, when Bulgaria won 35 medals (fifth overall in the unofficial medals table), including 10 gold (seventh overall), is out of the question, there are still several athletes who have good chances of standing on the podium in Beijing.
Maria Grozdeva is a strong favourite and best placed to bring Bulgaria a gold medal, adding to her collection of two golds in the 25m pistol and three bronzes in the 10m air pistol disciplines, in what will be her fifth Olympiad. Tanyu Kiryakov is another shooter that could bring Bulgaria a medal, having previously won the 10m air pistol in 1988 and the 50m pistol event in Sydney in 2000. He also has a bronze in the 10m air pistol discipline from Atlanta in 1996.
The ageless gymnast Yordan Yovchev, also attending his fifth Olympics, will compete in two disciplines – rings, his favourite, and floor. The two events have brought him four medals so far in the Olympics, one silver and three bronzes. With an impressive medal haul of every denomination in world and European championships, the Olympic gold is the only one missing in his collection. In Beijing, aged 35, he will make one last attempt to fix that oversight.
Only two Bulgarian boxers have qualified for the Olympics, but both have good chances of not returning home empty-handed. Boris Georgiev (no relation to the first Olympic medallist) will look to defend his bronze in the 64kg category won in Athens, while Koubrat Poulev is tipped for a medal in the over 91kg category.
Wrestling is another sport in which Bulgaria could collect a fair share of medals, including from two-time Olympic champion Armen Nazaryan, two-times world champion and Bulgaria’s top sportsperson of the year in 2007 Stanka Zlateva, world champion Yavor Yanakiev and world championship bronze medal winner Nikolai Gergov.
Wrestlers, together with track and field athletes, account for two in five of all athletes that left for Beijing. However, only Ivet Lalova, among track and field athletes, appears able to bring a medal home. She finished fourth in the 100m and fifth in the 200m at Athens and will compete in the same two events in Beijing.
Petar Stoichev will try his luck in the 10km marathon swiming event.
Bulgaria will be represented in only two team sports, volleyball and rhythmic gymnastics, but both are tipped to procure medals.
