site.btaGolden Belt Awards Presented for Achievements in Combat Sports

Sasho Andreev, Ivelina Shenkova, Sensei Petko Chirpanliev, Stoyan Gochev, and Sensei Plamen Yurukov are the big winners of the 2025 Golden Belt, the most prestigious awards in combat sports in Bulgaria. The awards ceremony of the National Combat Sports Association brought together the 12 member federations of the Association on Friday.

During the ceremony, each of the federations honored its most successful athletes and coaches for 2025, and at the end, the 2025 Golden Belt winners were announced.

In the Best Male Athlete category, the Golden Belt went to Sasho Andreev from the Bulgarian Armwrestling Federation. He is European champion from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and thirteen-time world champion.

In the Best Female Competitor, the award went to Ivelina Shenkova from the Bulgarian Wushu Federation. Shenkova has won two gold, two silver, and five bronze medals at the Republican Wushu Championships in Elin Pelin, seven world titles at the International Wing Chun Competition in Foshan, China, and four gold medals at the Balkan Open Games in Burgas.

The Best Coach award for 2025 was presented to Sensei Petko Chirpanliev from the Bulgarian Karate Kyokushin Federation. Chirpanliev is the personal coach of a number of champions, including Monika Stoyanova, Alexandra Ivanova, runner-up at the World Championships in Germany, and Nedzhmi Bozov, world champion from Leipzig.

In the Outstanding Victory category, the 2025 Golden Belt was awarded to Stoyan Gochev from the Bulgarian Kudo Federation. Gochev is the 2025 European champion from SK Kudo – Burgas and has demonstrated a series of impressive victories throughout the season.

The 2025 Golden Belt award in the Loyalty to Traditions category was awarded to Sensei Plamen Yurukov, who has been actively developing the aikido community in Bulgaria for 40 years.

The annual Golden Belt Awards were held for the eighth consecutive year by the National Combat Sports Association, the only combat sports association accredited by the Bulgarian Ministry of Youth and Sports that has 12 member federations, bringing together over 40,000 athletes and 476 clubs. The awards aim to pay tribute to those competitors and coaches who, through their talent, discipline, and perseverance, contribute to the development of combat sports and Bulgaria's excellent performance at world sporting events.