Bulgarian competitor Hristian Gospodinov won the World Cup title and secured the only gold medal for Bulgaria at the Varna Kyokushin Karate World Cup, held on July 7 as part of the 20th International Martial Arts Summer Camp.
Bulgaria concluded the tournament with a total of 13 medals—1 gold, 3 silver, and 9 bronze—earning third place in the overall team standings at one of the most prestigious international kyokushin karate competitions.
The standout Bulgarian champion was Hristian Gospodinov from Burgas, who claimed the title in the Boys (16–17 years) -75 kg division. The final featured an all-Bulgarian showdown, with Gospodinov defeating Denislav Iliev, who earned the silver medal.
Bulgaria added two more silver medals through Darina Doinova and Viktor Kolev, bringing the country’s total number of runner-up finishes to three.
The Bulgarian bronze medalists at the Varna World Cup were Blagovesta Mitrovska, Daliya Stoyanova, Georgiya Bogoslovova, Stoyan Savakov, Raya Ivanova, Gergana Marinova, Nikola Mihaylov, Viktor Vasilev, and Marian Balabanov.
In the final team standings, Bulgaria finished third with 13 medals (1 gold, 3 silver, and 9 bronze). Kazakhstan topped the rankings with 27 medals (11 gold, 6 silver, and 10 bronze), while Poland collected 9 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze).
Once again, the Varna World Cup confirmed its status as one of the most prestigious international kyokushin karate events. This year’s competition brought together 436 athletes from 25 countries and was one of the highlights of the 20th International Martial Arts Summer Camp, currently taking place near Varna and continuing through the end of the week.
