Tsvetomira Filipova (born 5 January 1969) is a former Bulgarian

rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, fle ...

who competed as both an individual and in groups; she is the 1983 World champion as a group member. She now works as a coach and was the coach of the Canadian senior national group for seven years.

Biography

Filipova was born in Chirpan and grew up and studied in

Kyustendil Kyustendil ( ) is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of the Kyustendil Province, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. The town is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, near the borders of ...

, where she began training at the local school of rhythmic gymnastics. She joined the national team under Neshka Robeva and moved to

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

without her parents. In 1983 she took part in the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

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, winning gold as part of the group. She later called the competition the "brightest moment" in her career. The following year, she was among the gymnasts that took part in the control competition to choose the Bulgarian representative for the

1984 Olympic Games The 1984 Olympics may refer to: *The 1984 Winter Olympics, which were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia *The 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an i ...

, the first to feature rhythmic gymnastics, though in the end, the Soviet bloc

boycotted A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict ...

the games. In 1985, Tsvetomira won all-around gold at the Intervision Cup in

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Goodwill Games The Goodwill Games were an international sports competition created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s. In 1979, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan caused the United States and other ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1986, where she took 4th place in the all-around. She won two medals in the event finals, bronze with both ball and clubs, and finished fifth in both the rope and ribbon finals. After her retirement, she moved to Canada to work with the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

. Although she did not initially intend to stay in Canada, she is now based in Toronto and works as a coach. She was the coach of the Canadian senior group from 2014 until 2021. Her husband, Banko Panov, a graduate from the school of the Bolshoi Theater, was the choreographer, and their daughter Vanessa was a member of the ensemble.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Filipova, Tsvetomira 1969 births Living people People from Cherven Bryag Sportspeople from Pleven Province Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Goodwill Games medalists in gymnastics Bulgarian emigrants to Canada Medalists at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships Gymnastics coaches