🏆 Atanas Petrov: "We had the spirit, character and heart of Bulgarian women"

The coach of the national team, Atanas Petrov, is the man who saw the possibility of something big right after the Balkan Championship.

"We imagined that we would perform very well, because at the Balkan Championship it became clear that we had the strength for something big. Even then I told the girls that we were starting something big."

He attributes the success to the long-standing efforts of all coaches who have worked with these girls over the past two years.

"We have spirit and great character and most importantly - the heart of Bulgarian women. We cannot compete with colleges in the USA and the thousands of athletes in Poland and Turkey."

The final and the entire tournament were a test for the team's physical and mental endurance:

"We played 9 matches in two weeks. In the end, we were numb. We wanted to give everything we had. They squeezed everything out of themselves in the last match. We deserved the victory."

Although this squad was the youngest in the tournament, Petrov believes that the future is ahead of them.

"Let's not overdo it. They are great, they are the future. In the main six, we had three children who were three years younger than the others."

🥇 Dimana Ivanova: "The MVP is not personal, it is a team award"

Bulgaria's setter and declared the most valuable player of the championship, Dimana Ivanova, remains humble and frank.

"The MVP is something that is more for the team than for me personally, because at the very least I am in a position that doesn't score many points, but plays for others."

For her, the greatest happiness is not the personal trophy, but the joy of the entire team's victory.

"I am very happy, really, but I don't think that's what makes me so happy, as much as seeing my team win and all the people around us be happy."

Ivanova says that they were fully prepared for a tough final against the USA and firmly believed in victory.

"We were convinced that we would win, although at the beginning we were a bit too calm and just weren't worried. And that's why we won so calmly."

She concludes with ambition, but also with confidence that they are not dreaming in vain.

"Our goals are very high, not because we dream or not, but because we know that we can do it."

🌍 Kalina Veneva: "We still haven't realized what we have achieved"

World champion Kalina Veneva admits that the emotions are so great that the success has not yet been fully comprehended.

We haven't realized what we've achieved yet. The feeling is unreal.

For her, the turning point was in the quarter-final against Brazil.

When we beat them with a convincing performance, we thought we could win.

The final against the USA was tense, but the Bulgarians managed magnificently.

We expected the Americans not to miss the final. We are glad that we managed to defeat them and not miss this game.

And the most important thing is that now the world will look at Bulgaria with different eyes.

They will no longer underestimate us and think of us as a weak team.

✨ One team, one dream, and one future

These three different voices outline the overall picture of a great success. Bulgaria did not just win the U19 Women's World Championship - it did so with character, team spirit, and dreams that are firmly grounded in reality.
And the future is yet to come.