On December 5 in Varna, Bulgaria, during the “Golden Belt” 2025 ceremony, the annual awards of the National Association of Combat Sports in Bulgaria were presented. The Bulgarian Taekwon-Do ITF Federation announced its most successful athletes of the past year.
The “Best Athlete – Man 2025” award was presented to Lyubomir Bakalski, a three-time World Champion in the categories of men’s individual sparring -71 kg, men’s team special technique, and men’s team sparring. He is also a three-time European Champion in men’s individual sparring -71 kg, men’s team special technique, and men’s team power breaking, as well as a European Vice-Champion in men’s team sparring and a bronze medalist in the men’s self-defense discipline.
In the “Best Athlete – Women 2025” category, Katerina Beycheva was honored. She is a World Vice-Champion in women’s individual power breaking, a European Vice-Champion in the same discipline, and a European Champion in women’s team power breaking. She also added a bronze medal from the European Championship in women’s team sparring to her achievements.
The “Best Coach 2025” recognition was awarded to Amalia Koleva, a member of the national team selection staff of the Bulgarian Taekwon-Do ITF team for the 2025 season. She played a key role in the preparation and selection of the squad for the European Championship in Tallinn and the World Championship in Jesolo, supporting the technical and tactical work with the national athletes. Her extensive experience as a multiple World and European Champion was reflected in the detailed preparation, analysis, and coaching coordination during training camps and championships.
Watch the annual awards of the 12 federations and the “Golden Belt” 2025 ceremony of the National Association of Combat Sports on Bulgaria ON AIR television on December 27 at 19:00 EET.
