Erika Zafirova

Erika Rosenova Zafirova (Bulgarian: Ерика Росенова Зафирова; born 7 May 1999) is a Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic group all-around champion. She is the 2019 World group all-around bronze medalist and 5 balls silver medalist. She is the 2021 European 5 balls champion and 3 hoops + 4 clubs silver medalist. She won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2019 European Games.

In this Bulgarian name, the patronymic is Rosenova and the family name is Zafirova.
Erika Zafirova
Ерика Зафирова
Full nameErika Rosenova Zafirova
Nickname(s)Erche, Eri
Country represented Bulgaria
Born (1999-05-07) 7 May 1999
Kyustendil, Bulgaria
ResidenceBurgas
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb)
DisciplineRhythmic gymnastics
LevelSenior Elite
Years on national team2012 - 2021
ClubOlympia 74
Head coach(es)Vesela Dimitrova
Assistant coach(es)Mihaela Maevska
Former coach(es)Sonya Monukova
ChoreographerMargarita Budinova
Medal record
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Representing  Bulgaria
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoGroup All-around
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Baku 5 Balls
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Baku Group All-around
European Games
Silver medal – second place 2019 Minsk Group All-around
Silver medal – second place 2019 Minsk 5 Balls
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Minsk 3 Hoops and 4 Clubs
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 Varna5 Balls
Silver medal – second place2021 Varna3 Hoops + 4 Clubs

Career

Zafirova began rhythmic gymnastics when she was seven years old.[1]

Individual

Zafirova competed at the 2014 Junior European Championships with Boryana Kaleyn and Katerina Marinova, and they finished fourth in the team competition.[2]

In the 2016 season, Zafirova became age eligible for senior competition. At the Moscow International Tournament, she finished eighth in the all-around.[3] She then finished sixth in the all-around at the Corbeil Essonnes Cup.[4]

Zafirova competed in her first World Challenge Cup at the 2017 Portimao World Cup where she finished sixth in the all-around and ball and fifth in the hoop. She won a silver medal in the ribbon behind Israeli gymnast Victoria Veinberg Filanovsky.[5][6]

2019

In 2019, Zafirova joined Bulgarian senior group with Stefani Kiryakova, Madlen Radukanova, Laura Traets, and Simona Dyankova, replacing the injured Elena Bineva. The group won the gold medal in the 3 hoops + 4 clubs final and the silver medal in the group all-around at the Pesaro World Cup.[7] Then at the Sofia World Cup, they won the group all-around gold medal.[8] She represented Bulgaria at the 2019 European Games where the Bulgarian group won silver in the group all-around by only 0.050 behind Belarus. They also won the silver medal in the 5 balls final, this time behind Russia. In the 3 hoops + 4 clubs final, they won the bronze medal behind Belarus and Ukraine.[9] She then competed at the World Championships in Baku where the Bulgarian group won the bronze medal in the group all-around behind Russia and Japan.[10] They then won the silver medal behind Japan in the 5 balls final, and they placed fifth in the 3 hoops + 4 clubs final.[11]

2021

The Bulgarian team began their year at the Sofia World Cup, where the team won gold in the group all-around and in both apparatus finals.[12] They once again swept the gold medals at the Baku World Cup.[13] She then competed at the European Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. The Bulgarian team of the senior group, Boryana Kaleyn, and Katrin Taseva finished in fourth place.[14] The Bulgarian group finished fifth in the all-around, but they won gold in the 5 balls final and won silver in the 3 hoops + 4 clubs final behind Israel.[15][16][17]

Zafirova was selected to represent Bulgaria at the 2020 Summer Olympics alongside Laura Traets, Stefani Kiryakova, Madlen Radukanova, and Simona Dyankova. In the qualification round, the group qualified in first place after receiving the highest scores for both of their routines.[18][19] In the group all-around final, they once again received the highest scores for both routines and won the gold medal with a total score of 92.100, 1.400 points ahead of Russia. This marked the first time a non-Russian team won the Olympic gold medal in the group all-around since Spain won in 1996, and it was the first time Bulgaria won the Olympic group all-around competition.[20][21] The Bulgarian group withdrew from the World Championships in Kitakyushu, Japan, four days before the start of the competition, after an injury to Traets.[22]

Personal life

Zafirova is engaged to David Huddleston, a Bulgarian artistic gymnast who also competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[1]

Detailed Olympic results
Year Competition Description Location Music Apparatus Rank Score-Final Rank Score-Qualifying
2020 Olympics Tokyo All-around 1st 92.100 1st 91.800
Water, Cosmos, Earth
by Elica Todorova, Stoyan Yankulov, Miroslav Ivanov		 5 Balls 1st 47.550 1st 47.500
Spartacus,ballet in 3 acts, op.8
by Aram Khachaturian, Bolshoi Theatre		 3 Hoops + 4 Clubs 1st 44.550 1st 44.300

References
  1. "Zafirova Erika". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  2. "30th Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships Results Book" (PDF). European Gymnastics. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  3. "International R. G. Tournament Individual Seniors & Juniors 19-20 February 2016 "Alina Cup" Seniors" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  4. "Tournoi International de Gymnastique Rythmique Souvenir Veronique de Kristoffy Corbeil-Essonnes 6-7-8 Mai 2016" [International Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament Remembering Veronique de Kristoffy Corbeil-Essonnes May 6-7-8, 2016] (PDF). USA Gymnastics (in French). International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  5. "FIG RG World Challenge Cup Portimão All-Around Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  6. "World Challenge Cup May 13-14, 2017 Portimao, Spain Event Finals" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  7. "Averinas complete second Pesaro clean sweep". International Gymnastics Federation. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  8. "Ashram and Soldatova shine in Sofia". International Gymnastics Federation. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  9. "Minsk 2019 Results Book Rhythmic Gymnastics" (PDF). European Gymnastics. Minsk 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  10. "37th FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships Baku (AZE), 16-22 September 2019 Group All-Around Final" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 21 September 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  11. "37th FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships Baku (AZE), 16-22 September 2019 Group Event Finals" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 22 September 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  12. "Boryana Kaleyn, Bulgarian Group bloom for six golds at Sofia Rhythmic World Cup". International Gymnastics Federation. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  13. "Ashram, Bulgarian Rhythmic Group prevail in Baku". International Gymnastics Federation. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  14. "37th European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics Team Results" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  15. "37th European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics Group All-Around Results" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  16. "37th European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics 5 Balls Results" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  17. "37th European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics 3 Hoops + 4 Clubs Results" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  18. "Rhythmic Gymnastics — Group All-Around — Qualification — Results" (PDF). 2020 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  19. "Bulgaria tops ROC in Rhythmic Group qualification". International Gymnastics Federation. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  20. "Russian rhythmic dynasty topples, Bulgaria wins gold". Taipei Times. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  21. "Bulgaria upsets ROC for first Olympic Rhythmic Group gold". International Gymnastics Federation. 8 August 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  22. Berkeley, Geoff (26 October 2021). "Olympic champions Bulgaria withdraw on eve of Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships due to Traets injury". Inside the Games. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
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