Former Biathlon Team Coach Hadzhiev Hopes for Medal in Women’s Mass Start at Olympics 2026

Balgarianovinite.com Former long-time head coach of the Bulgarian national biathlon team Boran Hadzhiev is hoping for a medal in the women’s mass start at the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina on February 21.
Bulgarian biathletes Lora Hristova and Milena Todorova have earned the right to compete in the 12.5-kilometre mass start at the Winter Olympic Games in Milan Cortina on February 21. Hristova did so by winning the bronze medal in the women’s 15-kilometre individual biathlon race on February 11, and Todorova by finishing fourth in the sprint and 14th in the February 15 pursuit. This is the first time that two Bulgarian women will compete in the last individual discipline at the Winter Olympics.
“It is difficult for me to make a prediction for Saturday. That is the nature of our sport, I could be wrong,” said the 63-year-old specialist. “I hope for a prestigious ranking. I am almost certain that the two girls will be among the top eight. I really hope for a medal,” he added.  
Hadzhiev believes that with their performance in Wednesday’s relay, the two have proven their serious potential. “Milena and Lora confirmed that they are ready for medals. There is one more start and it would be nice to dream a little longer,” he said.
Hadzhiev’s name is associated with the country’s greatest successes at the Winter Olympics, as he is the personal coach of Bulgaria’s only Olympic champion Ekaterina Dafovska from Nagano 1998, as well as the bronze medalist from Salt Lake City Irina Nikulchina.
“We are proud of what the girls and boys did at this Olympics. We feel proud of their rankings; they showed that they have done a lot of work. The entire coaching team, the competitors,” he said.
He admitted that before the Games in Milan Cortina, no one expected such good rankings in women’s biathlon. “The girls had health problems, their rankings did not show such strong results, but the Olympics are a different competition. Both psychologically and functionally. When things fall into place, when you have luck on your side, things work out,” Hadzhiev said.
He said he was pleasantly surprised by Hristova’s performance and described her as one of the biathlon stars at these Olympic Games. “She really broke into the top ranks here. I have been through many competitions, I have worked with many great athletes, including Katya [Dafovska], Irina [Nikulchina], and Pavlina [Filipova], but I have never seen such consistent shooting. Out of the last 60 rounds, she only missed one. That is the beauty of the sport. It is a chance, and I hope it will inspire many young children to believe in themselves, to believe that such high results can be achieved in a small country like Bulgaria,” said Hadzhiev.
He is aware that strong results in the relays require a balanced team of four good competitors, but this is not easy to achieve given the training conditions in Bulgaria. “We have one licensed shooting range and one semi-licensed one – I am referring to Troyan, because the facilities there are not completely ready. Only the shooting range is ready; a roll track also needs to be built. I hope that once the complex is finished, we will have at least one place where our colleagues can train in peace,” Hadzhiev said. “The State needs to think more about this. We owe it to the athletes,” he noted, adding that Bulgaria practically has only two places where a biathlete can train normally.
According to Hadzhiev, the men’s team did not manage to fully reveal their potential, but he described the relay team’s 12th place finish as prestigious. “I think the men were unable to reveal their potential to the fullest. They had their own health problems. It is the Olympics. But I think that 12th place showed that they worked hard. Some of them express a different opinion, but that is how they are. Twelfth place is a prestigious ranking at the Olympic Games, given the potential we have,” he said. Former Biathlon Team Coach Hadzhiev Hopes for Medal in Women’s Mass Start at Olympics 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-02-19 10:33:41 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law