site.btaSofia Cup Roller Skiing Competition Draws 126 Athletes

The fourth annual Sofia Cup roller skiing competition drew 126 athletes from across Bulgaria to Sofia’s South Park on Tuesday.

The Bulgarian Ski Federation organized the event with support from Sofia European Capital of Sport. It was held on Independence Day, September 22, for the fourth consecutive year.

The competition again formed part of the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ BeActive European Week of Sport initiatives.

The three-hour freestyle sprint competition was a festive occasion for all participants, with age categories ranging from 12-year-olds to senior men and women.

The youngest age-group titles went to Nikol Mihaylova of NSA and Georgi Aleksov of Triton Extreme. Stela Mashova of Rilski Skior and Mariyan Kandurov of Triton Extreme won the under-14 titles. Hristina Dimcheva of Triton Extreme won the girls’ under-16 event, while Alex Budinov of Alexander Logistics took the boys’ title. Antoaneta Dzhelepova of Alexander Logistics won the girls’ under-18 title, and Maksim Shushkov of Panichishte 2009 won the boys’ event. Valentina Dimitrova and Veselin Belchinski, both of Panichishte 2009, took gold in the women’s and men’s races, respectively.

The prizewinners received medals and prizes from the Bulgarian Ski Federation and the BeActive European Week of Sport.

The awards were presented by Bulgarian Ski Federation Vice President Georgi Bobev, Race Director Viktor Gichev, federation Cross-Country Skiing Coordinator Veselin Tsinzov and Technical Delegate Ivan Birnikov. Also taking part were Ministry of Youth and Sports representatives Simona Petkova and Viktor Godzhov, long-serving Stambolovo Ski and Biathlon Club Chair Dimitar Petkov, Mano Ketenliev, Todor Mashov and others.

"The Sofia Cup has become an established competition. We have always sought to bring sport to large audiences. Roller skiing gives us a wonderful opportunity to do that in summer, which is why we have such a busy calendar over these three months. Tuesday’s competition was as good as ever and drew many participants and spectators. We are pleased and hope this discipline will continue to develop," Bobev said after the awards ceremony.