Petar Stoyanov won the first European Cup for Bulgaria in the GT-15 water motor class in Ruse

Monday, 24 August 2026

The winners of the European Junior Championship in the GT-15 class and the final round of the World Water Sports Championship in the “royal class” F-500 were awarded at an official ceremony on the Ruse pier. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Ruse Municipality Borislav Rachev, the Mayor of Slivo Pole Municipality Valentin Atanasov, the member of the Board of Directors of the International Water Sports Federation Vahur Dzhola and the President of the Bulgarian Water Sports Federation Todor Hristov. During the ceremony, those present honored the memory of the Bulgarian pilots who died over the years with a minute of silence.

The first European Cup for Bulgaria in the GT-15 class was won by the 16-year-old Petar Stoyanov, a competitor of the Water Sports Club “Ryahovo”. The champion’s awards were presented by Valentin Atanasov. Stoyanov, who has been training since the age of 8, beat the second-place finisher, Lithuanian Elimantas Raziulis, by 74 points. The bronze medal went to Lithuanian Urte Gedrimaitu, the only woman in the race.

In the world championship in the F-500 class, the Pole Marcin Zielinski triumphed for the fourth time, winning the world championship title in addition to the final fifth round. The competitor received the championship cup from Borislav Rachev, and Vahur Joala gave him a specially made trophy with all the pilot's victories written on it. The Estonian Erko Abrams won the silver medal, and the Hungarian Attila Halas walked away with the bronze.

The awards to all the winners were presented by Deputy Mayor Borislav Rachev. He stated that Petar is a true pride for our country. "It is an extraordinary honor for me on behalf of the Municipality of Ruse and on behalf of all our fellow citizens to congratulate the champion on this undisputed European title. The victory achieved is proof that when there is talent and an unyielding spirit, there are no insurmountable competition routes. Thank you for the joy you brought us," said the deputy mayor, recalling that despite the strong wind on Sunday, the competitors successfully passed the water track. He read a congratulatory address from the Minister of Youth and Sports Encho Keryazov, which emphasized that hosting competitions of such a rank is a recognition of the development of water sports in Bulgaria. Rachev thanked Milen Marinov and Stefan Stoyanov, as well as the entire Ryahovo club, the Municipality of Slivo Pole and Valentin Atanasov, the Bulgarian and International Water Sports Federations for organizing and holding the championships.

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