Hobbies
Watching crime TV shows, listening to music. (Athlete, 20 Sep 2021)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Media Studies - University of California , Berkeley, CA, USA
Spoken languages
Bulgarian, English
Coach
Milko Tankouchev [national], BUL
Sporting relatives
His father Dimitar was a member of the Bulgarian national gymnastics team and is a gymnastics coach. His mother Diana is a former gymnast and professional rock climber, and is a gymnastics coach. (Athlete, 08 Sep 2017; dailycal.org, 13 Apr 2017)
Injuries
He injured his back in the lead-up to the 2014 World Championships. He missed a couple of weeks of training but was still able to compete at the tournament in Nanning, People's Republic of China. (intgymnast.com, 22 Dec 2014; a.longinestiming.com, 03 Oct 2014)
Start sporting career
He began training in 2002 in Petaluma, CA, United States of America. (dailycal.org, 13 Apr 2017)
Reason for taking up the sport
His parents were gymnastics coaches, and he was encouraged to try the sport because he spent so much time in the gym with them. (dailycal.org, 13 Apr 2017)
Ambitions
To compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. (Athlete, 20 Sep 2021)
Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning bronze on parallel bars at the 2019 World Challenge Cup event in Szombathely, Hungary, and claiming bronze on both parallel bars and horizontal bar at the 2019 World Challenge Cup event in Mersin, Turkey. (Athlete, 20 Sep 2021)
Hero / Idol
Bulgarian artistic gymnast Yordan Yovchev. (Athlete, 20 Sep 2021)
Most influential person in career
His parents. (Athlete, 20 Sep 2021)
Additional information
General
DUAL CITIZENSHIP
He holds both Bulgarian and US citizenship. He was born in Ruse, Bulgaria, and moved to the United States of America with his family in 2002. With his parents' help he taught himself to read and write in Bulgarian. "My family and I have not forgotten where we came from and have always kept the Bulgarian ways. In the house we speak only Bulgarian, my mum cooks only Bulgarian food and we follow all Bulgarian traditions." (dailycal.org, 13 Apr 2017; intlgymnast.com, 22 Dec 2014)
Last update : 2022-10-12
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