Seven decades of history, seven titles, one lost medal that remains eternal in memory. Petko Petkov \u2013 Olympic vice-champion from Moscow, an emblem of CSKA and the embodiment of the word "dedication" \u2013 tells bTV about his journey from Dimitrovgrad to the peaks of world volleyball.

The beginning \u2013 home, values, and the first steps in sports

Born into an ordinary family in Dimitrovgrad, Petko grew up with solid foundations \u2013 honesty, perseverance, and respect. Sports inevitably attracted him. His family was entirely dedicated to volleyball, but in his younger years, he also tried other disciplines \u2013 basketball and athletics, where he became a district champion in high jump.
"The speed from athletics helped me a lot later," he recalls today.

The path to CSKA \u2013 the fateful choice

At a youth championship, he was noticed by Ivan Shakhov. There were many invitations, but his father was adamant: if he was going to pursue a career \u2013 it had to be CSKA or Levski. Petkov chose the red.
Thus began a remarkable story.

The CSKA Hall \u2013 the home where champions are made

He joined the army in 1976, but the training camps and matches made that time unnoticeable. The CSKA Hall became his second home.
The older ones say:"If you want to become a volleyball player \u2013 you have to sleep in the gym."
Petko took it literally.

"I slept behind a large curtain. I didn't want to go home \u2013 I lived for volleyball," he recounts.

Seven-time champion \u2013 a fruit of hard work and discipline

With CSKA, Petkov wonseven championship titles(1979\u20131987). The training sessions were tough, almost identical to those of the national team.
His teachers \u2013 Dimitar Karov, Vasil Simov, and Dimitar Zlatanov \u2013 left a lasting impression.
"I learned the most from them. They knew what a peak was and what a fall was."

Moscow '80 \u2013 the moment that lasts forever

Petko Petkov is the youngest player in the national team during the legendary Olympic Games. Bulgaria reached the final after a series of brilliant victories – Cuba, Czechia, Italy, Poland.

The final against the USSR remains painful, yet majestic.
"If the tournament hadn't been in Moscow, we could have beaten them," Petkov says without hesitation.

During the award ceremony, the tears just came naturally.
The medal from that day was lost during a move, but the memories were not.

Italy – a new stage, the old passion.

After his successes in Bulgaria, he continued in Italy – first with Petrarca Padova, then in Southern Italy.
His career there was successful; he even became the championship's MVP.
But the CSKA hall remains his temple:
"Even the mice here know me."

A look at today's volleyball.

Petkov is a man from the generation of Karov and Zlatanov – a time when players could doeverything.
Today, volleyball is more power-oriented, more dynamic. But the spirit must remain the same.

For our new national team players, he says:
"Bravo! But success is in the past – it's time for the next challenge. If they get conceited, they'll fall quickly."

The Legacy

When asked what remains after all he has experienced, Petko Petkov simply replies:
"Volleyball gave me everything."

And regarding the future of Bulgarian volleyball, he is convinced:
“Great success awaits this team – it is young, it is hardworking, it has potential.”

The finale of a legend

Petko Petkov is a man who does not seek glory. He is the man who slept in the gym to become a champion.
The man who lost a medal but kept his heart.
The man whom – as he himself jokes – “even the mice in the gym know”.

And the man who, even today, inspires generations who are yet to write the history of Bulgarian volleyball.