Sofia, Bulgaria: On July 1, 2023, Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria, presented Bulgarian athletes Tanyu Kiryakov, Rumyana Nekova, Jordan Yovchev and Stanka Zlateva the Head of State’s Medal of Honor for their achievements on the occasion of their anniversary.
While presenting the awards, he said, ” These Great Bulgarian athletes have once made us feel proud to be Bulgarians. It was an honour to present them with the Head of State’s Medal of Honor for their achievements on the occasion of their anniversary”.
Tanyu Kiryakov, a pistol shooter from Bulgaria, is the first person to have won gold medals in the Olympics in both the 50-meter pistol event and the 10-meter air pistol event, the latter of which he also won. In addition, he is the only Bulgarian with two Olympic gold medals.
Rower Rumyana Neykova is from Bulgaria. Neykova participated in the 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2000, she won silver in the Single Sculls event. 2004 she won the bronze medal; in 2008, she took home gold in the same event.
Yordan Yovchev, also known as Jordan Jovtchev, is a former gymnast from Bulgaria. More than any other Bulgarian athlete in Olympic history, he competed in six straight Olympic Games. In addition to being a sports pundit, he also serves as president of the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation.
A former female freestyle wrestler from Bulgaria named Stanka Zlateva Hristova also received the Head of State’s Medal. She participated in the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, and London 2012 Summer Olympics, winning silver medals in the last two competitions.
On July 1, 2023, some of these legends in sports stood side-by-side with the students who scored the highest on the Presidential Test, part of the Sport with the President initiative.
The head of the state believes that this meeting will leave a bright impression on the growth of young people both as athletes and as individuals and expects that one day, they will also be champions, of which Bulgaria will be proud.
Encouraging the Bulgarian youth to participate in sports and physical activities, Sport makes the young people stronger, more resilient, driven, united and prepared for future challenges in front of Bulgaria, and every Bulgarian resident must create conditions for them to unleash their talent and grow as worthy citizens of the Homeland.
President Radev highlighted that the Bulgarian young people and athletes are among the country’s best ambassadors to the world, and their high results are bright proof of the unbreakable Bulgarian spirit.
Bulgarian representatives at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin won 19 medals in the competition of more than 7,000 participants from 190 national delegations. He outlined that sport builds resilient societies and cultivates tolerance and solidarity.