Tervel Zamfirov spoke a few days after his great success at the World Championships in the men's parallel slalom, BNR reported.
It was held in the Swiss resort of Engadin, and the briefing organized by the Bulgarian Ski Federation was also attended by his sister Malena, who won a title and 2 silver medals at the youth world championships and came in second place in the World Cup start, coach Anatoly Zamfirov and the leadership of the national ski federation.
So far, Tervel Zamfirov is having his most successful season, having already won 3 world titles and the youth championships in Zakopane, Poland:
"For me, this It was a very special season. I may never repeat it, because I'm leaving the youth division and without a time machine - I won't be able to compete. I won every significant world championship - the one for students in January. Then I represented the Bulgarian youth at the youth world championship. Just a few days ago I also participated in the men's world championship. Then I achieved something that I didn't believe I would do at that age. I will remember this season for the rest of my life.
In general, the competitors in the World Cup have always supported me and expressed love. There is mutual respect, I learn from them, especially as a child. I lost to Andreas Promeger 3 times this year. An exceptional athlete - the Nightmare of Bulgarian snowboarding. I managed to sit at the same table with them and I hope to work with them as a friend and teammate in the future, even though they are foreigners. We all represent snowboarding to the world.
The World Cup has gathered the best competitors, with killer instincts. There are 5 generations in the juniors and someone always becomes a champion. But the world champion in giant slalom is 44. They have 25 years of experience. He also became a champion in the juniors, but don't imagine anyone breaking them, since everyone always leaves as a loser except for one".
Malena Zamfirova announced the big news that she received an Olympic personal quota, although she had only competed in the girls' category until a few months ago:
“For me, this season was unique and shocking. I have been training skiing and snowboarding since I was very young, but my competitive experience so far was only in children's competitions. This year I got the right to compete. I started in Germany and no one even looked at me because I was the last. My goal was to earn 50 points to participate in Bansko. From there, things developed quickly and quickly, because I was competing with the best. Everything was going well, I didn't want to lose. I'm already 16th and I already have an Olympic personal quota. I'm definitely the youngest, especially in the finals. They look at me with interest and respect. The oldest competitor is 52 years old, but the average age is around 30”.
Coach Anatoly Zamfirov and father of the competitors said that the hard work has been going on for many years and the Zamfirovs are developed in a number of sports. They don't prepare in the standard way, for example in the gym:
“The recipe is a lot of work. We do many sports. Since they were little, they have been exposed to various activities. Terry was a state champion in 3-4 sports. The key is not in the gyms, but in developing their brains. That's why we get this success. We don't prepare them in a standard way. They never go out with the thought that they have to win, but like on a sports holiday. We ride with all our heart and soul without thinking that we will fall. Apparently things work out. This season showed that we often left with medals.
We are a young team and we don't have many things that the big teams have. Malena after 6 hours on the trails - prepares her boards for 3 hours. Tervel too, but he has been doing it since he was 12 years old. Many people ask me what the World Cup is. Every year there are 15 starts every 2-3 weeks. Within 2 years - you have 30 starts. This is the hardest thing. However, if you become a world champion - you will be in the next 2 years. Only the Olympic medal is above Tervel's success. At the World Cup, we collect points for the globe and the Olympic Games. The Czechs play unfairly - an “alien” competes for them, jokes Zamfirov
Anatoly Zamfirov also criticized the state and its attitude towards young people. He gave an example of how in the USA you can get into a university with sports: “It is no coincidence that they take stupider tennis players, because they have other qualities and become good managers. Our budget is small, there are no inter-school tournaments, and the budget at universities is small. Our athletes are not an example, but influencers. The latter are known for being famous. The issues should be considered by the Council of Ministers”.
The Chairman of the Bulgarian Ski Federation Tseko Minev was also present and congratulated the snowboarders.
“I am glad to see you on such a joyful occasion. We have been waiting for a long time to have a champion in winter sports. We are not only happy, but also emotional about what happened. What happened is a reward for the work of the team and the competitors. Finally, the work paid off with these rankings. Rado Yankov is in two thirds, let's not forget that
In the championship, we are now ahead of Austria and Switzerland. Japan and the Czech Republic have one medal more. To fight with such countries - I think it is really something that we should appreciate. All this is worthy of respect.
We have almost agreed on the Snowboarding World Cup in Bansko. Let's hope that we will go to the Olympic Games with a full team - that is the goal," he said.
Source: bnr.bg