The Bulgarian volleyball club CSKA’s players achieved a success by qualifying for the direct elimination matches at the Champions League, thus becoming the first Bulgarian team to reach that phase. Our team qualified after the Spanish Unicaja’s host fair-play led to a dramatic victory in the last group “B” match over the French Tour in Almeria with 3:2 games. “The red ones” had done their job well before that by winning a third victory in the group, beating as hosts the Russian Zenit-Kazan with 3:1 games. That was how “the red ones” finished second becoming the first Bulgarian team to overcome the group phase of the League of Champions.
The CSKA’s volleyball team will meet the Polish Asseco Resovia, led by the Serbian coach Lubomir Travica, in the first round of the League. The Polish players won convincingly the first place in the preliminary Group F of the League with 5 victories and 1 loss. CSKA will host the Polish team in the Bulgarian town of Samokov in the first match on February 9 -11, and will play a guest in the second one on February 16 – 18.

Bulgarian athlete Evgenia Radanova won a bronze medal in the 1500 meters short track competition, held in the German town of Drezden. The last year’s European champion Arianna Fortuna from Italy became the winner, leaving the English Elise Christie second. Mrs Radanova also ended fifth in the 1000 meters race. The Czech skater Katerina Novotna became the European champ in the discipline. This is quite an achievement for our best short track skater who began her preparation for the season later, due to a heavy waist injury.

Japanese skier Naoki Yuasa won both slaloms of the FIS Alpine Ski Europe Cup, held on Friday and Saturday in the Bulgarian ski resort of Bansko. The Italian Stefano Gros finished second, followed by the first round’s leader, the French Anthony Auber. Bulgaria’s best achievement was Stefan Georgiev’s 36th place.
The American Will Brandenburg and the Slovenian Skube Matic finished second and third after the Japanese skier in the second round. Zahari Yanakiev was the only Bulgarian to finish 39th out of 41 participants.

Bulgarian Kaloyan Mahlyanov a.k.a. “Kotooshu” finished the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo with a victory. Ozeki Kotooshu won over ozeki Harumafuji in a match from the final 15th round. Thus the Bulgarian wrestler finished with a balance of 9 victories vs. 6 defeats in the final standings. In the two grand champions’ match Hakuho won over Asashoryu, who had assured himself the 25th Emperor’s Cup. Asashoryu ended first with a total of 13 victories vs. 2 losses.

Bulgarian tennis player Tsvetana Pironkova reached the second round of the Australian Open – one of the world’s most important tournaments. Mrs Pironkova lost there with 0:2 /1-6, 4-6/ from the Israeli player Shahar Peer. The Bulgarian girl won over the Kazakhstan player Galina Voskoboeva with 2:0 /6-4, 6-4/.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev