Bulgarian competitors brought home 11 medals from the European Ice Swimming Championships under the auspices of IISA, held in Molveno, Italy. The nationals won three gold, five silver, and three bronze medals, as well as four places in the top 6.
Among the participants was 70-year-old Yani Kukov, who in 2025 won a gold and a silver medal at the same championship and set a world record in the 50m backstroke at a water temperature of 1 degree. This year, Kukov became a two-time European champion in the 50 and 100 meters backstroke, and second in the 50 meters freestyle.
In the individual age groups: Emil Lyubenov - European champion in the 100m butterfly, second in the 200m medley and third in the 250m freestyle. Valentin Mitrev - silver medals in the 100m backstroke and 250m freestyle. Teodor Tsvetkov - silver medal in the 1000m freestyle. Konstantin Tonev - bronze medal in the 250m freestyle. Tihomir Rezashki - bronze medal in the 200m medley. Stoyan Ivanov and Pavel Atanasov took prestigious places in the top 6.
The team was led by Petar Stoychev, vice-president of IISA.