site.btaOlympic Champion Dafovska Hails Biathlete Hristova’s Milan-Cortina Bronze

Ekaterina Dafovska congratulated biathlete Lora Hristova on her bronze medal for winning bronze in the women’s 15km individual at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games on Wednesday.

Dafovska, Bulgaria’s only Winter Olympic champion, also took part in the medal ceremony and presented Hristova with the Milan-Cortina 2026 mascot on behalf of the International Biathlon Union (IBU).

"Congratulations to Lora, to the team, to absolutely everyone involved," Dafovska said. She voiced confidence that the result would inspire Hristova to deliver more strong performances.

"This medal gives them confidence that they worked the right way, because there was quite a lot of uncertainty before the Olympics," Dafovska said. "It confirms that head coach Wolfgang Pichler’s programme works and that Lora followed everything. Everyone will have wings now. For the next starts, I expect them to relax a bit more. And Milena should calm down too, because she is in very good form as well," she added.

Dafovska said she also expected a good performance from the men in the upcoming events.

"What our athletes achieved with a delegation of 20 people, two bronze medals, is something we should be grateful for," Dafovska said. "At a Winter Olympics, we win a medal once every 20 years, it does not happen at every Games. But let’s dream of more, the more, the better," she added.

She urged the State to take a more active role in supporting winter sports and infrastructure. "The government should think about winter training bases, and not only think, but act, rather than just taking photos with us when we have success," Dafovska said.

After her win on Wednesday, Hristova also received congratulations from President Iliana Iotova, Outgoing Minister of Youth and Sports Ivan Peshev, Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) President Vesela Lecheva, and the IBU.