The National Athletics Championship in Sofia was marked by exceptional achievements for men and women in various sports categories. European Champion Bozhidar Saryboyukov from the Hebros Harmanliy team recorded a remarkable success, winning two gold medals.
In the long jump discipline, Saryboyukov triumphed with a result of 8.12 meters, which earned him his fourth national title. His main competitors Dimitar Tashev and Hristo Arbaliev took second and third places with results of 7.07 and 6.56 meters respectively.
Among women, Gabriela Petrova from SKLA Locomotive Plovdiv defended her leadership position in the long jump with a result of 6.58 meters. Her pursuers were Milena Mitkova with a personal seasonal record of 6.31 meters and Galina Nikolova, who suffered an injury during the competition.
Sprint disciplines offered an extremely competitive race. Kristen Radukanova convincingly won the 200-meter title with a time of 24.29 seconds, followed by Andrea Savova and Deva-Maria Dragieva. Among men, Venelin Georgiev triumphed again with a result of 21.35 seconds.
The 400-meter hurdles race sparked serious interest, where Kristina Borukova defended her title with an impressive 58.76 seconds. Among men, Radin Valchev set a personal record of 52.66 seconds.
Middle-distance running was dominated by familiar names. Martin Prodanov once again triumphed in the 800 meters with a time of 1:52.40 minutes, overtaking his main rival Martin Balabanov. Among women, Lilyana Georgieva had no competition and won decisively with a result of 2:07.53 minutes.
The men's high jump was the reserved territory of Tihomir Ivanov from Beroe, who achieved 2.12 meters. Among young talents, 17-year-old Natali Kostova impressed, winning the women's title with a personal record of 1.82 meters.
In throwing events, Todor Petrov from Dobrich triumphed among men in shot put with a result of 17.77 meters, while among women, Ivelina Milkova won with 12.85 meters.
A total of 435 athletes participated in this year's State Championship, which turned into a true celebration of athletics and provided a platform for young and established athletes from across the country.
The event was an excellent opportunity for national team selection before the upcoming European Championships for juniors under 20, which will be held in Finland.