Zornitsa Marinova (Bulgarian: Зорница Маринова; born 6 January 1987 in Veliko Tarnovo) is a retired Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast.[1] She represented Bulgaria in two editions of the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008), and also contributed to a fourth-place effort in the group all-around tournament at the 2007 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Patras, Greece. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Marinova claimed a bronze medal in the same program as a member of the Bulgarian gymnastics squad. During her sporting career, Marinova trained for Iliana Gymnastics Club in Levski under her head coach Adriana Dunavska and her assistant coach Mariela Pashalieva.

Zornitsa Marinova
Full nameZornitsa Marinova
Country represented Bulgaria
Born (1987-01-06) 6 January 1987 (age 37)
Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
ResidenceSofia, Bulgaria
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight52 kg (115 lb)
DisciplineRhythmic gymnastics
Years on national team1998–2008
ClubClub Iliana Levski
Head coach(es)Adriana Dunavska
Assistant coach(es)Mariela Pashalieva
ChoreographerStefan Stefanov
Medal record
Representing  Bulgaria
Rhythmic gymnastics
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens All-Around Group
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2005 Baku 5 Ribbons
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Patras 5 Ropes
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Patras 3 Hoops + 4 Clubs
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Torino 5 Ropes
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Moscow 3 Hoops + 2 Clubs

Career

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2004–2007

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Marinova made her official worldwide debut, as a 17-year-old teen, at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where she captured a bronze medal for the Bulgarian squad in the group all-around competition with a composite score of 48.600 (23.400 in the ribbon category and 25.200 in the hoops and balls), joining on top of the podium by veterans Zhaneta Ilieva, Eleonora Kezhova, Kristina Rangelova, and twin sisters Galina and Vladislava Tancheva.[2][3]

At the 2007 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Patras, Greece, Marinova and her newly structured squad missed the podium by two-thousandths of a point with a fourth-place score in 33.600.[4]

2008 Summer Olympics

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At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Marinova competed for her second straight time in the group all-around tournament, after attaining an automatic spot in the women's rhythmic gymnastics team from the World Championships. Teaming with Tsveta Kousseva, Yolita Manolova, Maya Paunovska, Ioanna Tantcheva, and Tatyana Tongova in the competition, Marinova performed a double routine using five ropes (16.750) and a combination of three hoops and two clubs (16.800) to deliver the Bulgarian squad a fifth-place score in 33.550.[5][6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Zornitsa Marinova". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-04. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  2. ^ "Women's Rhythmic Gymnastics Group All-Around". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 28 August 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Russia takes rhythmic gymnastics group all-round gold". Xinhua. People's Daily. 29 August 2004. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Russia wins 14 total medals at Rhythmic Worlds". ESPN. 23 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Group All-Around Final – Five Ropes". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Group All-Around Final – Three Hoops + Two Clubs". Beijing 2008. NBC Olympics. 26 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
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