Zoya Grancharova
| Zoya Grancharova | |
|---|---|
Зоя Грънчарова | |
| Born | 6 May 1966 (age 59) Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Gymnastics career | |
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics |
| Country represented | Bulgaria |
Zoya Grancharova (Bulgarian: Зоя Грънчарова; born 6 May 1966) is a Bulgarian former artistic gymnast. She won the bronze medal on floor exercise at the 1981 World Championships, making her the first Bulgarian woman to medal at the World Championships.
Personal life
Grancharova married Nikolai Kolev, a wrestling coach, with whom she has a son, Victor, and a daughter, Georgia.[1]
Career
Grancharova was known for her choreography on the floor exercise, which used unusual movements; she said that she intentionally tried to create routines that were different from what other gymnasts were performing.[1]
She competed at the 1981 World Championships, where she finished 17th in the all-around and qualified to the floor final, where she won the bronze medal. This was the first time a woman representing Bulgaria won a medal at the World Championships.[1]
In 1982, she competed at the American Cup, and she tied Julianne McNamara for first place. It was the only time that the title was tied.[2]
Grancharova competed at the 1983 European Championships. There she was 6th in the all-around and qualified to three apparatus finals, with her best placement being 4th on the floor exercise.[3][4] She also competed at her second World Championships, where she placed 8th in the all-around and 5th in the floor final.[1][5]
Due to the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympics, she competed at the Friendship Games instead that year and placed 12th in the all-around.[6] Later in the year, she had a severe injury where she broke her arm in several places and had nerve damage that prevented her from moving her fingers. She took a year off to recover but decided to end her competitive career.[1]
After her retirement, she moved to Toronto in 1991 with her husband to coach.[1]
Competitive history
| Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Balkan Championships | ||||||
| Junior Friendship Tournament | 4 | 7 | |||||
| 1981 | Balkan Championships | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Blume Memorial | 6 | ||||||
| Moscow News | 10 | ||||||
| World Championships | 4 | 17 | |||||
| 1982 | McDonald's American Cup | ||||||
| Golden Sands | |||||||
| Rome Grand Prix | 8 | ||||||
| Tokyo Cup | |||||||
| World Cup Final | 10 | 6 | 8 | 8 | |||
| 1983 | Balkan Championships | ||||||
| European Championships | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | |||
| World Championships | 4 | 8 | 5 | ||||
| 1984 | Chunichi Cup | 10 | |||||
| Friendship Games | 12 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| Golden Sands |
References
- ^ a b c d e f Crumlish, John (October 2002). "Catching up with...Bulgaria". International Gymnast. Vol. 44, no. 10. pp. 26–29. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
- ^ Crumlish, John (April 2004). "American Cup Memories". International Gymnast. Vol. 46, no. 4. p. 17. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1983 European Champs., Women's AA". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1983 European Champs., Women's EF". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1983 World Champs., Women's EF". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "1984 CSSR Spartakiade (Olomouc) - Women's AA". Gymn Forum. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Zoya Grancharova (BUL)". Gymn Forum. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2022.