Silviya Topalova
| Silviya Topalova | |
|---|---|
Силвия Топалова | |
| Alternative name(s) | Silvia |
| Born | 7 March 1964 (age 61) |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
| Country represented |  Bulgaria |
Silviya Topalova (Bulgarian: Силвия Топалова; born 7 March 1964) is a Bulgarian gymnast. She competed in six events at the 1980 Summer Olympics.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Topalova was friends with Maya Blagoeva, a fellow artistic gymnast who competed at the 1972 Olympics. Blagoeva named her daughter, Silvia Mitova, after Topalova.[2]
Career
[edit]Topalova competed at five consecutive World Championships from 1978 to 1985, making the all-around final at all but her last.[2] At her first World Championships in 1978, she finished in 32nd place.[3] The next year, at the 1979 World Championships, she placed 20th.[4]
She represented Bulgaria at the 1980 Summer Olympics. In the all-around, she placed 15th, the top placement among the Bulgarian women.[2]
At the 1981 European Championships, she placed 16th in the all-around.[5] She also competed at the World Championships that year and finished in 22nd place.[6]
In 1983, she competed at the World Championships, where she finished in 13th place in the all-around and placed 6th in the uneven bars final.[2] In 1984, due to the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympics, she competed at the Friendship Games instead, and she placed 6th in the uneven bars final.[7]
At the 1985 European Championships, she placed 26th in the all-around.[8] Her last major event was the 1985 World Championships, where she placed 4th in the team event with her Bulgarian teammates.[9]
After her competitive career ended, in 1990, Topalova moved to Mexico to work there as a coach. Her students included Brenda Magaña.[2] In September 2002, she moved to another coaching job in Puerto Rico.[10] She coached the Puerto Rican national team for some time,[11] and her student Lorena Quiñones competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She is also qualified as a judge.[12] In 2022, she began coaching in Pennsylvania with her former teammate Dima Raynova.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Silviya Topalova Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Crumlish, John (October 2002). "Catching up with...Bulgaria". International Gymnast. Vol. 44, no. 10. pp. 26–29. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
- ^ "1978 World Champs., Women's AA". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1979 World Champs., Women's AA". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1981 European Champs., Women's AA". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1981 World Champs., Women's AA". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1984 CSSR Spartakiade (Olomouc) - Women's EF". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1985 European Champs., Women's AA". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1985 Worlds, Women's Team Results by Gymnast". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Crumlish, John (November 2002). "Mexican evolution". International Gymnast. Vol. 44, no. 11. p. 32.
- ^ "Area Hosting Janet Rothenberg Memorial". The Times-Tribune. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Crumlish, John (22 October 2020). "Bulgarian Olympians Team Up On Journal To Inspire Young Gymnasts". International Gymnast Magazine Online. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Allabaugh, Denise (14 August 2022). "Climbing to new heights in NEPA". Citizens' Voice. Retrieved 29 April 2025.