Malena Zamfirova won the grand prize in the 10th edition of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) “Pyotr Nurovsky” award for best young athlete.
This happened after a vote by representatives of all National Olympic Committees on the Old Continent in Malta, where a ceremony was held late last night.
“We are very happy that our exceptional and talented girl was recognized by all the committees from across Europe. When we submitted her nomination, we never dreamed that tonight a Bulgarian athlete would be on stage”, Letcheva said.
The 16-year-old snowboarder’s first place finish also earned her a check for €15,000—the largest cash prize, which she will invest in her training.
Malena Zamfirova won a gold medal in the team parallel slalom competition and a silver medal in the parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom at the FIS Junior World Championships in Zakopane, Poland, in March.
Hours before the vote, Malena delivered a powerful speech to the delegates, declaring her support for keeping the parallel giant slalom in the Olympic program. She participated in the 45th EOC Seminar as one of the five finalists, and her speech drew applause from the entire hall. The Bulgarian received special congratulations from EOC President Spyros Capralos and European Commissioner Glen Michael.
