The Champion of the Pacific 2 - a story about the strength of the Bulgarian spirit
“Champion of the Pacific 2” is a very real story about the strength of the Bulgarian spirit. The documentary, immortalizing the feat of Tsanko Tsankov in New Zealand, was presented tonight at the Grand Millennium Hotel. As it is known, on April 7 this year he swam across the Cook Strait with an achievement of 6.23 hours.
The film tells about the will to win and all the difficulties the boy from Burgas has gone through. A first-person narrative containing breathtaking footage shot by cinematographer Simeon Simeonov.
The premiere was attended by Tsanko’s personal trainer and manager Nikolay Iliev, the co-founder of the Sport in Bulgaria Foundation Ms. Rossi McKee, who is also the producer of the film. Among the VIP guests was Dr. Nedelya Shchonova, host of a health show on bTV and winner of the last edition of “Dancing Stars”.
“People will see a true story, collected in 30 minutes, about a great achievement of Tsanko. On April 7, he became the first Bulgarian to swim the Cook Strait in 6 hours and 23 minutes. A film that will show that there are no impossible things. Our wish is that the film will be seen by many people, especially schoolchildren and students, to motivate them to succeed in what they do”, announced Nikki Iliev before the premiere.
“I hope that through this film we can set an example for teenagers. To tell about the difficult path of the athlete. Everyone can benefit for themselves. In today’s turbulent times, where our society is very divided, I think that sport has remained one of the very few things that unite us and make us feel like a community,” said the main character Tsanko Tsankov.
The team also revealed their upcoming plans.
“We are very consistent and moving forward slowly. Every step is measured, there is nothing random. The next sure thing is at the beginning of November – the fourth marathon of the Oceans Seven circuit. We will be attacking the Molokai Strait in the Hawaiian archipelago. This is the longest marathon – over 50 km. We are also preparing something very important and very significant. We want to have something related to open water swimming at least once a year on the territory of Bulgaria. However, we have not yet signed a final contract with two municipalities. We have talks, we have confirmation, and life and health by the end of the month we will announce it officially”, said Iliev.
Prior to the start of the screening, Ms. McKee was given the floor.
“We should be proud of athletes like Tsanko. Sport in this country is going through a difficult time. The desire of the Sport in Bulgaria Foundation is to help young people who will be the future leaders,” she announced.