Historic triumph in Osijek and a warm welcome in Sofia
The Bulgarian national volleyball team for girls up to 19 years old returned to Bulgaria with the first-ever world title for a women's team in the country, regardless of the sport. Coach Atanas Petrov's girls conquered the top at the World Championship in Osijek (Croatia), after defeating the reigning champion USA with 3:1 sets in the final.
The triumph comes just a year after these same talented volleyball players also became European champions. This reinforced the impression that Bulgaria has an exceptional generation in this sport.
Official welcome for the heroines in Sofia
Upon their return, the young 'lionesses' were welcomed fittingly. The national team landed at Sofia Airport on Monday at 3:51 PM on a flight from Belgrade, from where the entire team headed directly to the capital's 'Hristo Botev' hall. Hundreds of fans, relatives, and official guests awaited them there.
The Bulgarian Volleyball Federation organized the festive welcome, and the iconic Bulgarian song "Prituri se planinata" performed by Stefka Sabotinova played in the hall. Each of the champions – Dimana Ivanova,
Kalina Veneva,
Victoria Ninova,
Denitsa Angelova, Darina Naneva, Nikol Okoro, Simona Ivanova, Stefani Dyankova, Vyara Parapunova, Edna Todorova, Alexandra Kitipova, and Elisaveta Sarieva – received special awards. The coaching staff was also honored: head coach Atanas Petrov, his assistant Martin Zhivkov, statistician Lazar Lazarov, and team manager Evgeni Ivanov – Puskata.
Politicians and sports leaders with praise and promises of support
The event was attended by the Chairperson of the National Assembly, Natalia Kiselova, the newly elected President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee, Vesela Lecheva, and the Deputy Minister of Sport, Petar Mladenov.
"After watching the match, my colleagues and I saw that you did something truly incredible. Bravo, girls! And allow me a joke – the boys should take an example from the girls," Natalia Kiselova said with a smile.
The President of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubo Ganev, greeted the world champions.
Vesela Lecheva, in turn, described the victory as a "historic success for Bulgaria" and added: "You showed that you are worthy champions. I am sure that your dream is to reach the Olympic peak as well. I wish you that from the bottom of my heart, and we will continue to support Bulgaria's talent."
Thanks from the team and an emotional finale
Team captain Victoria Ninova thanked on behalf of the entire team for the support and warm welcome.
"We are extremely happy that we fulfilled our dream of reaching the top of the world," said coach Atanas Petrov. He revealed that during the championship, the girls constantly drew strength from the dozens of congratulations they received.
The emotional ceremony concluded with Queen's iconic song "We Are The Champions," which played as a symbol of the well-deserved victory and a new golden page in the history of Bulgarian sport.
