"Sportsman of the Year of Gabrovo" 2024

On December 17, the annual ceremony "Sportsman of the Year of Gabrovo" was held, which honored deserving athletes, coaches, people, who contributed to the development of sports and promoted Gabrovo around the world.
The mayor of Gabrovo Municipality Tania Hristova, the regional governor Maria Basheva, the head of the Regional Department of Education Georgi Marinov, the deputy mayor Nikolay Merazchiev testified their respect for them.
Out of nearly 40 nominated athletes from Gabrovo clubs from 20 types of sports, the Youth and Sports Commission of the Gabrovo Municipal Council and the sports experts in the municipal administration awarded 10 of them:
1️⃣a place for the competitors of the sports dance club "Ritmika" - Gabrovo - Preslava Draganova and Alexander Savekov, who won gold medals from the World Sports Dance Championship this year;
2️⃣Athlete #2 of Gabrovo Municipality for 2024 is Stefania Antova from Judo Club "Gabrovo";
3️⃣a place for those who represented Gabrovo and our country worthily at the European Kyokushin Championship - for Viktor and Styliana Merazov from the "Nadezhda" club;
4️⃣two representatives of the "Next" club - Yordan Yordanov and Alexander Angelov;
5️⃣is the competitor of the Yantra Karate Club, Damyan Roibov;
6️⃣the sports acrobatics competitors of the "Acro-art" club Hristina Peneva, Preslava Pencheva, Tsvetin Stoyanov, Mirela Koseva and Siyana Pavlova;
7️⃣ is a competitor, with great results in the women's elite with the team of the Gabrovi orienteering club "Uzana" - Iliana Ilieva;
8️⃣ is the competitor of the club "Tot athlete" Plamena Vladimirova.
9️⃣position in the ranking are the strongest competitors from team sports - football - Martin Toshev, handball - Tonislav Glushkov from HC "Chardafon" and Angelina Pencheva from HC "Bucky", basketball - Ivaylo Stoyanov, rugby - Dimitar Georgiev;
🔟 is the 8-year-old Gabrovo chess talent Ivan Ekimov from SK "Orlovets 1997".
Team of the year 2024 in the city of Gabrovo is the representative men's team of OFK Yantra
The Commission awarded the "Coach of the Year" prize to the coach of the sports dance club "Ritmika" - Ivelina Zhekova.
And this year, with loud applause, the competitors of the club "Raven Start", graduates of coach Georgi Levicharov, recorded a series of participations in international and national tournaments in adapted swimming and won numerous awards. Excellent results were achieved by Kristina Kovacheva, Ivan Ivanov, Matei Tomov, Grigor Stanchev, Ivelin Gramatikov and Stefan Nikolaychev.
Although outside the official ranking of the TOP 10, during the ceremony, other significant successes of Gabrovo track and field athletes were noted. These are the competitors from the Masters group (over 35 years old) – Zhivko Zhelev, Petyo Hristov and Konstantin Kirov. Two men who dedicated their lives and careers to their great passion for handball were also honored - Mihail Bashev and Georgi Doichinov, who with their high professionalism and skills spread the glory of Gabrovo and Bulgaria at the highest world forums. Recognition was also given to ultramarathoner Plamen Merazov, who participated in 11 marathons and half marathons this year.
And the good mood was in the hands of Kerana and the cosmonauts, who filled the otherwise emotional evening with extraordinary energy.
The Youth Center congratulates all Gabrovo athletes for their hard work and we wish them more success and new conquered peaks!