Published on 06 January 2025 First-year student at NSA "Vasil Levski," Emma Neykova, was ranked sixth in the "Best Young Athlete of Bulgaria" poll for 2024. She had a highly successful year, and her sixth-place finish in the fierce competition in both saber fencing and the 2024 poll is a significant achievement. Neykova is the European Junior Champion in saber from Naples and a member of the national women's under-23 team, which also claimed the European title at the championship in Antalya. Her award was presented by Zapryan Vanchev, founder and driving force of the Bulgarian Fencing Academy. The award ceremony was held in the Theater Hall of St. George Private School in Sofia. The poll, organized for the 13th time by Viasport.bg and Free Media Group, featured votes from 86 journalists in the category for athletes under 19 years old. Among the official guests were Minister of Youth and Sports Georgi Glushkov and the Mayor of Sofia, Vasil Terziev. Valentina Georgieva was named the number one young athlete. Over the past year, the artistic gymnast became the European silver medalist on vault for women in Rimini and finished fifth in the vault final at the Paris Olympic Games. Additionally, she won gold on vault at World Cup tournaments in Varna and Baku. Her award was presented by Minister Glushkov. The "Team of the Year" award went to the national volleyball team, which triumphed at the European Championship for girls under 18. Antonina Zetova, the team’s coach, received the "Best Coach" award, presented by Vasil Terziev. The "Will to Win" award, given to children and young people who have overcome various life challenges but continue to practice sports, was awarded to 16-year-old Timsel Kostadinova. Despite her mobility issues, she has trained in swimming, CrossFit, and horseback riding, and for the past three years, she has been part of the wheelchair basketball team "Cherno More Ticha." |