Bulgarian taekwondo athlete Erica Karabelova has secured a place in the final of the European Championships in Munich, Germany, in the women's under 53 kg category. Her performance guarantees her at least a silver medal.

Her journey to the final began with a victory over Spanish competitor Laura Rodriguez in a 2:1 match (3:4, 10:1, 10:1). She then advanced to the quarter-finals, where she defeated Ozana Radic from Croatia 2:0 (9:6, 15:5). This victory ensured her a spot on the podium.

In the semi-finals, Karabelova dominated Jodie McCue from the United Kingdom, winning 2:0. She took the first round decisively with a score of 15:3 and controlled the second round, winning 7:3 to secure her place in the title match later in the day against the top-ranked current world champion Merve Dinchel from Turkey.

In the men's under 80 kg category, Bulgarian competitor Omid Khosiyani was eliminated in the second round. He started with a win over Eljan Aliyev from Azerbaijan with a score of 2:0 (1:0, 6:3), but then lost to the top-ranked Raman Turavinau from Belarus with 0:2 (0:4, 4:9).

Seven Bulgarian athletes are competing at the European 2026 championships. Raya Peeva was eliminated in the first round in the women's under 46 kg category, while the rest are Alexandra Georgieva (49 kg), Hristiyon Georgiev (54 kg), Stanislav Mitkov (63 kg), and Stefan Stameno (74 kg), all of whom will continue to compete over the next two days.