Bulgaria grabs one gold, three bronze medals at Sumo World Championships

Bulgaria’s Simeon Stankovich dominated the under-115 kg category, winning all four of his bouts to claim the title. He defeated Sulde Dongak of Kyrgyzstan in the semifinals and Marcel Gorica of Hungary in the Sumo World Championships final held in Baku.

This is Bulgaria’s first world sumo title in 16 years. Stiliyan Georgiev was the last Bulgarian world champion, in 2010. He is a two-time world champion, as is Svetoslav Binev, CE Report quotes BTA.

“I largely expected this title. It may sound immodest, but I trained with the best in Bulgaria, including Ivan Blagoev, a multiple medalist and European champion. He and my loved ones believed in me, even more than I did,” Stankovich told Sport PR Events Management. He said he had been confident of winning a medal and had also expected to become world champion.

Stankovich said he would not take a break, as he has an MMA fight in Germany on November 7. He also spoke about the support of his loved ones, saying that his two children were among those he thought of while singing the national anthem. His girlfriend was the first to congratulate him, he added.

In the women's competition, Mihaela Hristova (65 kg) and Stanislava Atanasova (80 kg) won bronze medals. Both said they had hoped to reach the final and expressed pride in their achievements.

Anna Metodieva made a strong return to the dohyo after a 10-year absence, finishing fifth despite a shoulder injury sustained in her opening bout. The former World Games champion and six-time European champion won her next two bouts.

Ivan Blagoev started well in the under-100 kg category but lost twice and missed out on the medals. Presiyan Mihov was eliminated in the under-85 kg category after a closely contested bout that required a replay and two reviews.

On the opening day, Gabriela Spasova won bronze in the under-60 kg category for women under 18.

The Bulgarian athletes thanked their coaches, Hristo Hristov and Nikolay Nikolov, the Bulgarian Sumo Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports for their support.

Photo: Sport PR Events Management