Lilia Ignatova
Encyclopedia
Lilia Ignatova (born May 17, 1965 in Sofia
, Bulgaria
) is a Bulgarian modern rhythmic gymnast.
She was born in Sofia
on May 17, 1965 and was part of the "golden girl
" generation which dominated the sport in the early eighties. She won the all around silver at the 1980 European Championships, with an additional silver for the hoop, and gold with clubs and ribbon. She repeated this feat at the 1981 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
, winning additional golds for rope and hoop and silver for clubs.
She won gold with the ribbon at the 1982 European Championships and Silver in the all around competition at the 1983 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
where she also won gold for clubs and balls and bronze for the hoop.
She won gold with hoop and silver with ball at the European Championships in Vienna
in 1984 and came second at the 1985 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
to teammate Diliana Gueorguieva where she also won gold with ball and clubs and bronze with rope. In 1986 she won her second World Cup title and completed six consecutive victories in the Julieta Shishmanova Cup. Her final European Championships were crowned with the Gold for the all around competition, based on her golds for rope and clubs and the silver with ribbon.
Her routines combined a high degree of difficulty, such as a backward shoulder roll with a circling ribbon, with choreography set to a wide variety of modern and classical music.
After retiring she appeared in a film musical Akatamus, directed by Gueorgui Duylguerov and performed onstage for the Theater 13 company. She later coached at the Levski club where she began her career. In 1999 she was one of four rhythmic gymnasts inducted into the FIG Hall of Fame.
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...
, 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...
) is a Bulgarian modern rhythmic gymnast.
She was born in Sofia
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...
on May 17, 1965 and was part of the "golden girl
Golden Girls of Bulgaria
The "Golden Girls" of Bulgaria refers to the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts who won gold medals:* Iliana Raeva* Anelia Ralenkova* Lilia Ignatova* Bianka Panova* Adriana Dunavska...
" generation which dominated the sport in the early eighties. She won the all around silver at the 1980 European Championships, with an additional silver for the hoop, and gold with clubs and ribbon. She repeated this feat at the 1981 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
1981 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
1981 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships were held in Munich, West Germany on October 17 – 20th 1981.-Participants:The following countries sent competitor Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, France, Great Britain, Hungary,...
, winning additional golds for rope and hoop and silver for clubs.
She won gold with the ribbon at the 1982 European Championships and Silver in the all around competition at the 1983 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
1983 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
1983 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships were held in Strasbourg, France on November 10–11, 1983.-Participants:The following countries sent competitor Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, Finland, France, Hungary,...
where she also won gold for clubs and balls and bronze for the hoop.
She won gold with hoop and silver with ball at the European Championships in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1984 and came second at the 1985 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
1985 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
1985 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships were held in Valladolid, Spain on October 10–13, 1985.-Participants:The following countries sent competitor Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary,...
to teammate Diliana Gueorguieva where she also won gold with ball and clubs and bronze with rope. In 1986 she won her second World Cup title and completed six consecutive victories in the Julieta Shishmanova Cup. Her final European Championships were crowned with the Gold for the all around competition, based on her golds for rope and clubs and the silver with ribbon.
Her routines combined a high degree of difficulty, such as a backward shoulder roll with a circling ribbon, with choreography set to a wide variety of modern and classical music.
After retiring she appeared in a film musical Akatamus, directed by Gueorgui Duylguerov and performed onstage for the Theater 13 company. She later coached at the Levski club where she began her career. In 1999 she was one of four rhythmic gymnasts inducted into the FIG Hall of Fame.