site.btaLora Hristova Wins Olympic Bronze

Lora Hristova brought new joy to Bulgarian sport after winning a second Olympic medal for the country at the Milano Cortina Winter Games on Wednesday. The 22-year-old biathlete earned bronze in today’s 15 km individual event.

Hristova said she was happy to have fulfilled her dream of winning an Olympic medal and to have brought joy to Bulgarians. She thanked her team and everyone who has supported her.

She became the sixth Bulgarian to win a medal at Winter Games, following Ivan Lebanov, Ekaterina Dafovska, Evgenia Radanova, Irina Nikulchina, and Tervel Zamfirov who won bronze three days earlier.

Dafovska remains the country’s only Winter Olympic champion, after her victory in the 15 km event at the Nagano 1998 Games. Radanova holds the record for the most medals, with three in short track speed skating: silver in the 500 m and bronze in the 1500 m at Salt Lake City 2002, and another silver at Turin 2006.

Bulgaria’s first Winter Olympic medal was won by Ivan Lebanov in 1980 - a bronze in the 30 km cross-country skiing event. Irina Nikulchina also won bronze in biathlon pursuit at Salt Lake City 2002.

Dafovska took part in today’s medal ceremony, presenting Hristova with the Milano Cortina mascot on behalf of the International Biathlon Union. She was visible moved by the young athlete’s achievement.

The President of the Bulgarian Biathlon Federation, Atanas Furnadzhiev, watched the race from the stands in Anterselva.

So far, the Milano Cortina Games are promising to be the second most successful Winter Games for Bulgaria after Salt Lake City 2002, when Bulgarian athletes won three medals.

Biathlon has become the country’s most successful winter sport, with one gold and two bronze medals. Short track speed skating has produced two silver and one bronze, while cross-country skiing and snowboarding have each brought one bronze.

Bulgaria’s total Winter Olympic medal count now stands at eight: one gold, two silver, and five bronze.

Hristova said the race went perfectly for her. "I stayed calm the whole time. From the morning I tried not to think about my placing at all, or about the fact I’m at the Olympic Games because, as we know, they come only once every four years and everyone is very nervous, because this is the biggest goal for every athlete,” Hristova said after the finish.

“This is my strongest race so far. I think I managed to bring together all the elements, the shooting and the skiing. My only thought was to do everything correctly. I think I did well. At the last World Championships I also shot strongly, but I don’t think the skiing part came together then,” she said, recalling that she finished 13th. “On Wednesday I felt very fresh from the very start. I’m happy with the result and with myself. It gives me more confidence and I’m really looking forward to the next races here.”

“My goal before the Olympics was to shoot clean, because I know I can. I hoped to be in good physical shape, and that’s how I’ve felt since the first start in the mixed relay,” Hristova added.

She also said she hoped Bulgaria would win more medals before the end of the Games, after snowboarder Zamfirov took bronze in alpine snowboarding on Sunday.