Erika Zafirova
Erika Rosenova Zafirova (Bulgarian: Ерика Росенова Зафирова; born 7 May 1999) is a Bulgarian team and former individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2020 Olympic Group All-around champion and the 2019 World Group All-around bronze medalist.
| Erika Zafirova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Erika Rosenova Zafirova | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alternative name(s) | Erche, Eri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Erika | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Bulgaria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 7 May 1999 Kyustendil, Bulgaria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Burgas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 169 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Rhythmic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | Senior Elite | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2012 - present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Olympia 74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Vesela Dimitrova | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assistant coach(es) | Mihaela Maevska | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former coach(es) | Sonya Monukova | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Choreographer | Margarita Budinova | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Zafirova was born in Kyustendil. In 2009, then 10 year old Zafirova moved with her parents to Burgas, and started training at Olympia 74 Club. Her first coach was Petya Moneva.[1]
At the International Tournament in Brno in 2013, Zafirova won three silver medals. She has competed in the Junior World Cup in Minsk and Lisboa. She competed at the 2014 Junior European Championships (together with Boryana Kaleyn and Katerina Marinova) where team Bulgaria finished in 4th place. In 2015 she competed at the Junior World Cup in Sofia.
In the 2016 season, Zafirova began competing in seniors at the Moscow International Tournament where she finished 8th in the all-around. She then finished 6th in the all-around at the Corbeil Essonnes Cup in Paris.
In the 2017 season, Zafirova competed at the Thiais Grand Prix finishing 10th in the all-around. She then finished 5th in the all-around behind Julia Evchik at the 2017 Corbeil Essonnes tournament. On May 12–14, Zafirova competed in her first World Challenge Cup at the 2017 Portimao World Cup where she finished 6th in the all-around, she qualified to 3 apparatus finals taking silver in ribbon placed 5th in hoop, 6th in ball.[2] On July 7–9, Zafirova finished 7th in the all-around at the 2017 Berlin World Challenge Cup, she qualified in hoop and ball final.
In 2018, Zafirova began the season at the Moscow International Tournament where she finished 3rd in the all-around, winning a bronze medal.
In 2019, she joined Bulgarian senior group, replacing injured Elena Bineva who ended her career. She and her teammates placed 3rd in Group All-Around Final at 2019 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan and secured an olympic spot for Bulgaria at the 2020 Summer Olympics. They also won silver medal in 5 Balls Final behind Japan.
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 | |||
Personal life
Since July 2021, she is engaged to David Huddleston (gymnast), Bulgarian artistic gymnast, who also competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
References
- "Надеждите на художествената гимнастика – Ерика Зафирова". sportnamasa.com. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- "Veinberg Filanovsky, Italy pick up three titles apiece in Portimao". International Federation of Gymnastics. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
