Fencing Ambitions for Major Tournaments in the Coming Months

The Bulgarian Fencing Federation held a press conference to highlight recent achievements, including Veronika Vasileva's title at the continental championship for those under 23, a bronze medal for the women's team in the European team competition, and Yoana Ilieva's third place at the Grand Prix in South Korea. Jordan Galubov, president of the federation, praised the team's positive momentum, attributing it to the hard work of the athletes, coaches, and the federation as a whole. "We are seeing improvement – from one competitor, we now have strong performances from second, third, and the entire team."

Senior coach Ivailo Vodenov noted that this progress means each athlete can now compete for a medal at major events. He highlighted the team's third-place finish as particularly significant, suggesting it bodes well for the upcoming Olympic Games. Vodenov expressed optimism about the upcoming World Championship and congratulated Yoana on her third-place finish in South Korea, where the world's strongest tournament was held.

"In the past few weeks, we've put Bulgarian fencing among the world's leading nations," said Yoana Ilieva, the current star of Bulgarian fencing. "While it's not my job to mention results, we've had success in men's saber – finishing among the top 16, which is a historic achievement. Then came Veronika's medal, the women's team medal, and my medal from Korea. The federation, our academy, and the club are responsible for all these successes. I had the pleasure of preparing at a training camp in Japan, which was very challenging to arrange years ago. I watched the other girls carefully there and was happy to win a medal in Korea. Now we are preparing with fresh strength for the European Championship at the end of June and then for the World Championship."