- Stiliyana is a virtuoso, Boryana is adored by the people and the judges, says the vice-president of the rhythmic gymnastics federation
- I don’t miss being on the carpet, I played
- I learn a lot from Iliana Raeva. She is strong and constant, diplomatic
Nevyana Vladinova is one of the brightest diamonds in the crown of Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics. Only four years ago he was actively competing, and today he works even more devotedly for our successes in sports, but in the capacity of vice president of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation. She is always chasing personal improvement, but she is also someone who would neglect herself for the sake of the common good.
– How do you assess your debut as the head referee at the World Cup in Sofia?
– I am satisfied and I think that I did well what depended on me. I think the race went smoothly. Of course, even though I was the head judge, I had the support of my team as well as the technical delegate Marcia Aversani, who was sent by the international federation to supervise the competition as well. We got on very well with her and we were a good fit in terms of working.
– Do you have any remarks about the stars of the cup, Boryana Kalein and Stiliyana Nikolova?
– There’s always more. But I think the girls did very well. Our assessment is high for their results – they became the champion and vice-champion of the cup, they also won medals in the finals. We saw strong play from both, but also mistakes from both. It’is still early. I think they will perform better and better with every next race. Their combinations are competitive for gold medals – very difficult and very different from all the others. So right now the focus should be entirely on execution.
– What are the strongest features of both and, accordingly, their weaknesses?
– They are very different both from each other and from our competitors. The two girls are chasing the maximum of what they want to show for the Olympics. They put a lot of effort into their compositions.
Stiliyana is a virtuoso, I would call her. An extremely strong gymnast both in her technique with the apparatus and in her qualities with her body. He managed to show it at the cup finals in Sofia with a record ball rating. I emphasize – a completely real assessment. These were set and done things. She is a very strong competitor.
Boryana – everyone knows that she carries something in her that touches everyone. It also affects the judges because, no matter how much we try to make sport objective, the human factor is still there. Boryana is adored by the people and the judges. She is mature, she is experienced. It shows on the carpet.
As I said, to perform, both must be working to clear the combinations.
– Are you always there for them when they need support?
– Of course. Whenever they need me, I’m there for them. As well as to the ensemble, and to the younger girls. However, I am the most recent quitter who continues to work with them, and I think I can really understand them. I know what they’re going through, I know what’s expected of them, and I think I know how to give them more confidence and peace of mind.
– Do you have any advice for the girls from the ensemble who are still having difficulty with the complicated but very effective combinations of the coach of Olympic champions Vesela Dimitrova?
– With her, the bar is very high, and she always raises it higher and higher. The girls in the ensemble are doing well, although they still make mistakes. This year, they already look like a team, feel like a team and hit the mat like a team. This is a big leap for them, their combinations are actually very complex. Unfortunately, in Sofia both days they made serious mistakes with the hoops.
Maybe even the fans couldn’t really see how beautiful this combination was, but it just keeps getting better. I will wish them to be calm, to abstract themselves from any comparisons with the front ensemble and from the high expectations for them, and to come together and think about what they can do in the best way.
– It is not easy to get out of the shadow of Olympic champions.
– Their task is very difficult. I believe they will make it. These are very talented girls and good competitors. Big sport is hard.
– Are Boryana and Stiliyana expected to stun the competition at the Olympic Games in Paris?
– We have a team of very strong gymnasts in the individual, which was a dream and a goal. The Bulgarian school has always been distinguished by its style. Our choreographies are always well done, well thought out. The best part is that each successive generation gets better and better. As we can see, both Elvira Krasnobayeva and Eva Brezileva enter the big sport and directly start winning world cups, which is great. We are developing in the best possible way.
Both Boryana, Stiliyana, Eva, and Elvira, I would even say – and Nikol Todorova are competitive and can fight for gold medals. Their results during the year will show which two will go to the Olympics, I believe that the most correct decision will be made. But it is very nice when there is such strong internal competition. We see each week how they get better at outdoing each other.
Of course, at the same time they help each other, they still go out to defend the name of Bulgaria. This is my advice to them as well – domestic competition is very nice, but let’s compete with the world champion from Germany, with the Italian woman and in general with our direct competition abroad.
– What are the forecasts and goals for Bulgaria’s presentation in Paris?
– Gold medals, of course. It’s absolutely achievable, it’s not just talk. Both individually and in ensembles. The competition is very strong, don’t sleep, we see the level in the cups, but it will make for a very nice race in Paris. And I hope that the girls will win what they dream of.
– Does the excitement of the Olympic year bring you back to the emotions you felt as a competitor? Do you miss those thrills?
– Not particularly. Maybe I’m surprising with this answer, but I definitely don’t miss them. For a long time I lingered in the big sport and the emotion in it. Of course, I go back to the Olympics from time to time purely for the atmosphere and the feeling I had there, because it’s a very, very different competition. It cannot be described in words, it is simply experienced. But in general I don’t miss being on the carpet, I feel very good on the other side. I think I played myself.
– What do you most remember about the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016?
– I felt great pleasure. For me, a much more difficult competition was the previous year’s world championship, in which I won the quota. At the Olympics itself, I felt so inspired and ennobled. I felt like playing. Even the previous day in the evening, I was thinking about how tomorrow by this time I would have already played in the Olympics and everything would be over, and I wanted this moment not to end.
– What is your most priceless triumph? And the bitterest disappointment?
– All victories are precious to me. Perhaps the most priceless and the most frustrating race are somewhat related. The world championship in Sofia in 2018 was bittersweet for me, when I was in very good shape and in the all-around, after the first two devices, I moved third. I could have got a medal, then that would have been a very big success, but I went out to play clubs and made about four mistakes. I don’t know, I even recently counted them for the first time. In the end, I just didn’t want to throw my clubs away because I didn’t want to drop them anymore. It’s funny to me now, but it wasn’t at all then. I had a tape to play after, and I didn’t want to show up at all. I was ashamed of the coach, of the federation, of the Bulgarian spectators. Then I remember saying to myself, “I can’t take it anymore, I want to quit.”
It was very heavy. Of course, I didn’t give up. I passed. I told myself that I can’t stop, I’ll get over myself and then I’ll give up.
Six months later, at the world cup in Tashkent, it was with clubs that I came second. Then for the first time I was able to play the combination, free myself mentally and believe again that I can play with clubs. I won a silver medal, for which Silvia Ruseva helped me a lot, who was my personal trainer at the time and was close to me. I felt like I had won a world title. This overcoming of myself was so important to me.
– Only five years ago you won the all-around title and became the first Beauty Queen of the World Cup in Sofia. Do you feel that you have changed in these five years?
– Of course I’ve changed. I believe in a good direction. I am a person who constantly seeks development and personal improvement. I hope that I have achieved it, because, apart from everything, I see very well the things that I have to work on and strive for.
– When you ended your career in 2020 and received an offer from Iliana Raeva to become vice president of the federation, did you hesitate?
– No. It is an offer that you accept and then wonder what to do because it is not certain that you will be given this chance again. Fortunately, I easily make decisions without thinking. I trust my intuition, it doesn’t let me down. It was the same in this case. I think within 3 minutes we understood each other.
– Do you learn from her and what mostly?
– Of course I’m learning. This is someone you can learn so much from. First, she is a very strong woman, very persistent, very good and clearly knows what she wants and how to get it. Very often I see him neglecting himself and accepting things he doesn’t like for the sake of sport and success, which is very valuable. That’s why it works. She is very diplomatic and knows how to communicate locally and internationally. I could go on and on…
– How do you think you earned her trust?
– I think that she also saw in me a person who would neglect himself for the sake of sport and the success of Bulgaria. She probably saw other qualities of mine as well. In our sport, as in others, there are many people who think more about their personal ambition and development, which is not a bad thing, but when you are fighting for more, you have to look above things. As one of the most successful sports in our country, all eyes are on us, everything is under a magnifying glass. And we have to be perfect. Thank god the federation team is great.
– Do you feel the federation as a second family?
– Absolutely. From day one. In fact, the core people who work with me every day in the office have made me feel like we’ve been together for ten years from the start. They helped me a lot and continue to help me. True friends, family. It’s a pleasure to come to work.
– On a personal level, what brings you the most harmony and satisfaction?
– Love. In life, it is love that brings me peace. Also, my loved ones being well, paying more attention to them, spending more time with them, knowing that they are happy – that makes me feel good. Like my friends, I have few but very good friends, which is rare.
– What should the man next to you be like to give you this particular love? How can your heart be won?
– I don’t need anything in this life, that’s why I don’t have exact criteria. Here again I rely on intuition and feeling. Kindness, humanity, care, understanding, support, desire to develop… and a sense of humor – all qualities that I value in the closest people around me, and all things that I also try to give them.
– Have you ever imagined what your life would be like if you had chosen a different professional path?
– I thought about it because when I was little I really wanted to become a track and field athlete. I was wondering between rhythmic gymnastics and athletics. Glad I made the right choice. In my opinion, I would be one of our last female track and field athletes in Bulgaria.
