site.btaBack from Paris Games, Rhythmic Gymnast Kaleyn Needs Time to Celebrate Her Silver Medal before Making Decisions for Her Future
Returning to Sofia from the Paris Games in the early hours of Tuesday, Olympic individual rhythmic gymnastics all-around silver medallist Boryana Kaleyn said she needs time to celebrate her accomplishment before deciding what she would do in the future. She travelled from Paris with fellow team members Stiliana Nikolova, Magdalina Minevska, Sofia Ivanova, Kamelia Petrova, Rachel Stoyanov, Margarita Vasileva and coaches Mariana Pamukova, Valentina Ivanova, Branimira Markova, Vesela Dimitrova and Yasena Stoyneva.
Kaleyn, who won Bulgaria's first medal in an individual rhythmic gymnastics event since the 1988 Seoul Games, told reporters: "It is still very hard for me to realize what I achieved at these Olympics. Bulgaria has its medal in rhythmic gymnastics, for which the whole team is tremendously happy. The way I performed in this competition was incredible, I outdid myself a hundredfold compared to what I showed earlier this year, for which I am even happier."
When asked about her future plans, Kaleyn said: "I do not think now is the time to make any decisions. I want to celebrate with my loved ones, to enjoy the victory, and then when I am rested, I will make the decision."
The gymnast revealed what helped her perform so well in Paris: "I managed to keep my focus until the end and stay as calm as possible. Attunement is the most important thing. I changed my own mindset in the last three years, I worked a lot in that direction. We started doing model training on the days that the competition was on, Thursday and Friday, at the same hours, to get as close as possible during the actual competition. That was a big plus for me [...] I felt confident because I had practiced it and knew I could do it. Then I enjoyed everything else."
Kaleyn proceeded to thank her coach Pamukova. She also expressed support for her teammate Nikolova, who failed to qualify for the individual all-around final in Paris. "I told her that one unsuccessful competition in no way defines what she has achieved so far and that good things are yet to come, as long as she does not give up."
The medallist concluded that going into the Olympics, she was aware of her abilities and that showing a stable performance would get her into the fight for medals. She added: "My job was to focus until the end. Yes, there were a lot of Bulgarians in the crowd and many foreign fans were there, which energized us in a great way. This helped us to show our potential."
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