site.btaBulgarian Athletes Win Three Medals at 2022 Deaflympics

Nikolay Bozev, Chairman of the Bulgarian Deaf Sports Federation, is satisfied with the performance of the Bulgarian athletes at the Deaflympics - the equivalent of the Olympics for hearing impaired athletes, he said on Monday. The Bulgarian athletes won one silver and two bronze medals.

The Deaflympics are the most prestigious sport forum for people with hearing disabilities. The series of multi-sport events are held once every four years, under the rules of the Olympic Games. The 2022 Deaflympics were held in the Brazilian city of Caxias do Sul from May 1 to May 15.

Bulgaria was represented by 22 athletes who competed in six sports. Wrestler Panayot Dimitrov won silver in the men's Greco-Roman 55 kg competition. Nikolay Hristov won bronze in the men's 75 kg karate, while javelin thrower Elena Uzunova won the bronze medal with a result of 41.70 metres in the women's competition.

Nadka Nachova finished fourth, both in the heptathlon events and the 100 metres hurdles. Blagoy Popovchev (+100 kg judo) and Hristo Stanoychev (77 kg Greco-Roman wrestling) both placed fifth in their events.

Bozev said that winning three medals in a strong competition is quite an accomplishment, adding that Bulgarian athletes came close to win even more but that's sport - sometimes luck is needed, as well. "The important thing is that everyone has returned from Brazil with no injuries", Bozev noted.

"We keep on working, following the approved programmes for developing sports for deaf people countrywide and I am sure that future major international tournaments will bring us more joy," Bozev also said.