Bianka Panova
Encyclopedia
Bianka Panova (born May 27, 1970 in Sofia
) is a Bulgaria
n individual rhythmic gymnast
. She was the first rhythmic gymnast to get a clean sweep of all 5 (All-Around, Ribbon, Clubs, Hoop, Rope) gold medals at the 1987 world championships in Varna
with the perfect score of 40.00 points.
She retired from the sport in 1989 and became a coach in Italy
where she coached the Italian National Champion, Katia Pietrosanti, who is the only Italian to medal at a world championships. Bianka tried to make a comeback in 1992 but failed to make the Bulgarian olympic team. She returned to coaching in 1993, this time in Belgium
.
She concentrated on artistic gymnastics and acrobatics choreography. Up until 2001 she was head coach at the Happy Gym club in Ghent
, and is responsible for many of Belgium's finest athletes, among them National Champion Elke De Backer. She has also introduced her own method of flexibility conditioning for non-gymnast athletes.
She now lives in Belgium with her husband, physiotherapist and now physician, Tchavdar Ninov, and their two sons Steven and Richard.
Later on she dedicated to her family and helped to the successful medical practise of her husband Dr.Ninov.
In 2009 she was invited as a "star" in the famous TV Show "Dancing With The Stars", where once again she proved to be the best dancer ever and won with the highest public vote.
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
) is a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n individual rhythmic gymnast
Rhythmic gymnastics
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which individuals or teams of competitors manipulate one or two pieces of apparatus: rope, clubs, hoop, ball, ribbon and Free . An individual athlete only manipulates 1 apparatus at a time...
. She was the first rhythmic gymnast to get a clean sweep of all 5 (All-Around, Ribbon, Clubs, Hoop, Rope) gold medals at the 1987 world championships in Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
with the perfect score of 40.00 points.
She retired from the sport in 1989 and became a coach in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where she coached the Italian National Champion, Katia Pietrosanti, who is the only Italian to medal at a world championships. Bianka tried to make a comeback in 1992 but failed to make the Bulgarian olympic team. She returned to coaching in 1993, this time in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
She concentrated on artistic gymnastics and acrobatics choreography. Up until 2001 she was head coach at the Happy Gym club in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, and is responsible for many of Belgium's finest athletes, among them National Champion Elke De Backer. She has also introduced her own method of flexibility conditioning for non-gymnast athletes.
She now lives in Belgium with her husband, physiotherapist and now physician, Tchavdar Ninov, and their two sons Steven and Richard.
Later on she dedicated to her family and helped to the successful medical practise of her husband Dr.Ninov.
In 2009 she was invited as a "star" in the famous TV Show "Dancing With The Stars", where once again she proved to be the best dancer ever and won with the highest public vote.
External links
- http://www.gymn.ca/gymnasticgreats/rsg/panova.htm
- http://lesgymnastesdegr.ifrance.com/pages/44.html (en Français)