Katrin Yankova Taseva (Bulgarian: Катрин Янкова Тасева; born November 24, 1997) is a retired Bulgarian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2017 European Silver medalist with Ribbon, 2019 Grand-Prix Final All-around bronze medalist, the 2019 World Cup series All-around and Ball winner and the double (2018, 2019) World Cup series Ribbon winner. Taseva had won multiple medals at the European Games and is also the 2018 Bulgarian National Champion and a four-time (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) Bulgarian National All-around silver medalist.

Katrin Taseva
Full nameKatrin Yankova Taseva
Nickname(s)Kati,Kate
Country represented Bulgaria
Born (1997-11-24) November 24, 1997 (age 26)
Samokov, Bulgaria
ResidencePlovdiv
Height164 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight56 kg (123 lb)
DisciplineRhythmic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team2010-2021
ClubLevski - Iliana
Head coach(es)Branimira Markova
Retiredyes
World ranking2 WC 9 WCC (2017 Season) [1]
20 (2016 Season)[2]
Medal record
International Gymnastics Competitions
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Championships 0 1 0
European Championships 0 1 2
European Games 0 1 1
FIG World Cup 1 11 8
Grand Prix 2 5 5
Total 3 19 15
Representing  Bulgaria
Rhythmic Gymnastics
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2018 Sofia Team
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2017 Budapest Ribbon
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Budapest Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Baku Team
European Games
Silver medal – second place 2019 Minsk Ball
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Minsk Ribbon
Grand Prix Final
Silver medal – second place 2019 Brno Ball
Silver medal – second place 2019 Brno Clubs
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Brno All-Around
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Brno Ribbon

Personal life

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Taseva announced her engagement to her partner, Bulgarian pastry chef, Stanislav Sivkov, on her personal Instagram account in December 2022. Her first child, a son called Nikolay, was born in Plovdiv on 9 June 2023. She was previously engaged to Bulgarian wrestler, Nikolai Shterev, who died of Covid-19 in 2020. Taseva sold medals from previous world competitions to help raise money for his hospital care. Her son is named in Shterev’s memory.[3] After retiring from rhythmic gymnastics in 2021, she revealed that she gained 10kg. She previously struggled with an eating disorder as a gymnast and was vegetarian to maintain her weight. She resides in Asenovgrad and works as a rhythmic gymnastics coach for children, where she organizes master classes and training camps. [4]

Career

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Taseva was born in Samokov. A member of the Bulgarian National team since 2010, she appeared in international junior competitions in 2008. Taseva began competing at the 2015 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Bucharest, Romania and Budapest, Hungary.

2016 season

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In 2016, Taseva competed in several World Cup and Grand Prix Series. She had her highest placement finishing 9th in the all-around at the 2016 Baku World Cup. She then finished 13th in the all-around at the 2016 European Championships. She was unable to compete at the 2016 Rio Olympics as Bulgaria qualified only 1 individual rhythmic gymnast that went to Neviana Vladinova who earned her Olympic qualifications at the 2015 World Championships.

2017 season

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In 2017 Season, Taseva made her breakthrough at the 2017 Kyiv Grand Prix where she finished 4th in the all-around and won the gold medal in ball final.[5] She then competed at the 2017 Marbella Grand Prix where she finished 6th in the all-around and qualified to 3 apparatus final. At the 2017 Pesaro World Cup, Taseva finished 5th in the all-around ahead of teammate Neviana Vladinova. She also qualified to all the event finals finishing 4th in hoop, 5th in ball, 6th in ribbon and 8th in clubs. The following week, at the 2017 Tashkent World Cup, Taseva made her World Cup breakthrough, where she won her first all-around medal, a bronze, and in addition, a silver with clubs and a bronze with ball. At the 2017 Sofia World Cup, Taseva won another all-around medal, a silver, behind teammate Neviana Vladinova. In the finals, she also won a bronze with ribbon. At the 2017 European Championships, Taseva, along with Vladinova and the Bulgarian junior group (Maria Spasova, Bilyana Vezirska, Bilyana Pisova, Boyana Gelova and Galateya Gerova) won the team all-around bronze medal, behind Russia and Belarus. In the finals she also won a silver with ribbon and placed fourth with hoop. On August 5–7, Taseva finished 6th in the all-around behind teammate Neviana Vladinova at the 2017 Minsk World Challenge Cup, she qualified in 3 apparatus finals and won finished 6th in ball, 5th in both ribbon, and clubs. On August 11–13, Taseva again finished 6th in the all-around behind Vladinova at the 2017 Kazan World Challenge Cup, she qualified in 3 apparatus finals and finished 6th in ball, 5th in clubs, ribbon. On August 30 - September 3, Taseva and Neviana Vladinova represented in the individual competitions for Bulgaria at the 2017 World Championships in Pesaro, Italy; she placed 8th in qualifications and finished 10th in the all-around final.[6] On November 5–6, Taseva competed at the 2017 Dalia Kutkaite Cup finishing 5th in the all-around.

2018 season

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In 2018 season, due to Vladinova's injury; Taseva became Bulgaria's leading rhythmic gymnast. She began her season at Baltic Hoop International Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament in Riga, Latvia, finishing 3rd in all-around. She won gold with hoop and ribbon at the events finals. On March 17–19, Taseva competed at the 2018 Kyiv Grand Prix where she won the silver medal in the all-around behind Ekaterina Selezneva, she qualified in 3 apparatus finals: taking the silver with ball, ribbon and bronze with clubs. On March March 24–25, Taseva finished 4th in the all-around at the 2018 Thiais Grand Prix behind teammate Boryana Kaleyn. on March 30-April 1, Taseva began the world cup events competing at the 2018 Sofia World Cup finishing 4th in the all-around behind Israel's Linoy Ashram, she qualified in all the finals and bagged individual medals with gold in clubs, silver in hoop, ribbon and bronze in ball. On April 13–15, Taseva won the silver medal in the all-around at the 2018 Pesaro World Cup behind Dina Averina, she qualified to all apparatus finals; taking silver with ribbon, bronze with hoop, clubs and finished 4th in ball. On April 27–29, Taseva competed in a World Challenge Cup event at the 2018 Baku World Cup where she won finished 4th in the all-around behind Belarusian newcomer Anastasiia Salos, she qualified in 2 apparatus finals finishing 4th in ball and 7th in hoop.

2021 season

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Taseva represented Bulgaria at the 2020 Summer Olympics and finished first in the qualification for the individual all-around, making her the fourth reserve for the all-around final.[7] On August 6, right after her Olympic performance, Katrin announced her retirement from competitive sport on her Instagram profile.[8]

Routine music information

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Year Apparatus Music title
2020/2021 Hoop Eye Of The Tiger by 2Cellos
Ball Fallin' by Nicola Cavallaro
Clubs Malagueña by Stanley Black
Ribbon A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) by Fergie ft. Q-Tip, GoonRock
2019 Hoop Lovers in Paris by Jacob Gurevitsch
Ball Elea by Worakls (Jimmy Sax' Rework)
Clubs Think by Aretha Franklin
Ribbon I'll Never Love again (from A Star Is Born) by Lady Gaga
Ribbon (Second) Mayas by Hanine
2018 Hoop "Camino" by Lili Ivanova / Ivan Peev
Ball "Epilogue (La La Land)" by Justin Hurwitz
Clubs "Overture (from Jesus Christ Superstar)" by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Ribbon "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars
2017 Hoop "La Voce Del Silenzio / Se Bruciasse La Citta" by Massimo Ranieri, Silvia Mezzanotte, Linda Valor
Ball "The Beauty" by Beloslava (Белослава - Красотата)
Clubs (2nd) "Danza Ritual del Fuego" by Paco de Lucía, Carlos Montoya
Clubs (1st) "Rozov Kadilak" by Kolio Gilan Band
Ribbon "Djelem Djelem" by Barcelona Gipsy Klezmer Orchestra

Competitive highlights

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(Team competitions in seniors are held only at the World Championships, Europeans and other Continental Games.)

International: Senior
Year Event AA Team Hoop Ball Clubs Ribbon
2021 Olympic Games 14th (Q)
European Championships 7th 4th 6th 7th 5th 5th
2019 World Cup Kazan 3rd 5th 5th 7th 4th
European Games 6th 11th (Q) 2nd 4th 3rd
Grand Prix Brno 3rd 4th 2nd 2nd 3rd
Grand Prix Holon 6th 3rd 6th 1st
European Championships 3rd 7th 4th 8th
World Cup Sofia 3rd 6th 2nd 2nd 2nd
World Cup Pesaro 5th 6th 4th 18th (Q) 2nd
2018
World Championships 6th 2nd 7th 8th 8th
Kazan World Cup 5th 4th 4th 7th 4th
World Cup Minsk 5th 4th 4th 7th
World Cup Baku 4th 7th 4th 2nd
World Cup Pesaro 2nd 3rd 4th 3rd 2nd
World Cup Sofia 4th 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd
Grand Prix Thiais 4th 3rd
Grand Prix Kyiv 2nd 2nd 3rd 2nd
Baltic Hoop 3rd 1st 1st
2017 Dalia Kutkaite Cup 5th
World Championships 10th
World Cup Kazan 6th 6th 5th 5th
World Cup Minsk 6th 6th 5th 5th
European Championships 3rd 4th 2nd
World Cup Sofia 2nd 4th 7th 3rd
World Cup Tashkent 3rd 4th 3rd 2nd 5th
World Cup Pesaro 5th 4th 5th 8th 6th
Grand Prix Marbella 6th
Grand Prix Kyiv 4th 1st
2016
European Championships 13th
World Cup Baku 9th
National
Year Event AA Team Hoop Ball Clubs Ribbon
2020 Bulgarian Championships 2nd 3rd 3rd 1st 8th
2019 Bulgarian Championships 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 2nd
2018 Bulgarian Championships 1st 2nd 2nd 1st 1st
2017 Bulgarian Championships 2nd 8th 2nd 1st 2nd
2016 Bulgarian Championships 2nd
Q = Qualifications (Did not advance to Event Final due to the 2 gymnast per country rule, only Top 8 highest score);
WR = World Record; WD = Withdrew; NT = No Team Competition; OC = Out of Competition(competed but scores not counted for qualifications/results)

References

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  1. ^ "FIG World standings for rhythmic gymnastics". International Federation of Gymnastics. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  2. ^ "FIG World standings for rhythmic gymnastics" (PDF). International Federation of Gymnastics. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Златната Катрин роди Николай". Telegraph Bulgaria. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Катрин Тасева чака момченце". Telegraph Bulgaria. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Супер успех: Красивата Катрин Тасева със златен медал в Киев". Blitz Sport. 18 March 2017.
  6. ^ "35th WORLDS of RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS 2017". gymmedia. 3 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Rhythmic Gymnastics — Individual All-Around — Qualification — Results" (PDF). 2020 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Катрин Тасева приключва със състезателната си кариера" (in Bulgarian). 6 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
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