Bulgaria’s young shooting talents achieved outstanding success at the U-18 European Shooting Championship held in Osijek, Croatia, bringing home two European titles in the junior men’s skeet discipline.
The standout performer for the Bulgarian team was Iliya Iliev, who claimed the European title in the individual junior men’s skeet U-18 event. With an exceptional and confident performance, he won the gold medal with a score of 71 points, while also setting a new European record in the discipline — an achievement that reflects his excellent preparation, focus, and competitive spirit.
Bulgaria’s second gold medal came in the team event, where the national squad consisting of Iliya Iliev, Zdravko Varbanov, and Dimitar Todorov deservedly secured the European title in the junior men’s skeet competition. The Bulgarian athletes demonstrated excellent coordination, consistency, and strong team spirit, finishing with a total score of 196 points, ahead of the strong teams from France and Poland.
The other Bulgarian national athletes also delivered commendable performances:
- Zdravko Varbanov – 10th place in the individual junior men’s skeet event;
- Dimitar Todorov – 18th place in the individual junior men’s skeet event;
- Angela Rangelova – 10th place in the junior women’s skeet U-18 event;
- Marin Iliev – 36th place in the junior men’s trap U-18 event;
- Teodora Yakova – 21st place in the junior women’s trap U-18 event.
Commenting on the impressive performance, the President of the Bulgarian Trap, Double Trap and Skeet Federation, Iliya Kirilov, stated:
“This success is a source of immense pride for Bulgarian shooting, and these results are clear evidence that Bulgaria has an exceptionally talented young generation of athletes. That is precisely why the federation’s main focus is the development of its youth program and the preparation of Bulgaria’s future champions. The success in Osijek is the result of perseverance, discipline, professional preparation, and dedicated work with our young talents. I am convinced that this is only the beginning of even greater achievements for Bulgaria on the international stage.”
This significant achievement is the result of the hard work of the athletes, the coaching staff, and everyone who contributes daily to the development of Bulgarian sport shooting.
The Bulgarian Trap, Double Trap and Skeet Federation congratulates all national team athletes on their commendable performance and wishes them many more future successes on the international stage.
We look ahead with confidence to the next challenges and believe that this talented generation will continue to bring many more moments of national pride to Bulgaria.