We don’t receive funds and support from the Bulgarian side – we depend and insist on our partnership with Sport in Bulgaria Foundation. My success and results would not have been possible without this support. This is what 36-year-old Tsanko Tsankov answered to BGNES after his return to his native land from Tallinn, Estonia.

Tsankov returned from the Baltic country, where he took part in the World Ice Water Championships. The Bulgarian won two gold medals in the 200m and 450m freestyle, as well as a bronze in the 25m butterfly.

“I am extremely happy that I managed to win for Bulgaria two world titles in ice swimming in the 200 and 450 m freestyle and a bronze medal in the 25 m butterfly. The emotions are high from achieving this goal, so I am extremely happy to be back on home soil,” were his first words.

Asked by BGNES about whether that was his goal in Tallinn, he replied, “Personally, I knew we had a very good chance of a world title, at least one, but it’s still a competition. Over 900 swimmers from 41 countries took part – as you may know, I am the only Bulgarian representative at this World Championships. For me it is a new experience in the sport, as this is my first participation in an Ice Swimming World Championship. The water temperature in the morning was just below 0 degrees and when I took the title in the 450m freestyle the temperature was 1.7 degrees Celsius.”

Asked by BGNES how strong is the competition in the sport, Tsankov said, “The competition is extremely strong – there are many trained athletes in ice swimming. This is a sport that has officially submitted a bid for inclusion in the Olympic Games. In all likelihood, ice swimming will become the only sport represented at the Winter and Summer Olympics. The results are within hundredths of a second,” he said and went on to refer to the psyche:

“For me, excellence in sport is about 70% mentally based. It is extremely important for an athlete to abstract from the conditions – mentality is one of the most important factors in ice swimming. I would like to thank all Bulgarians and my fellow citizens for their support. I think this is a success for Bulgarian sport and ice swimming. My participation in this World Championships is part of my preparation for swimming one of the most difficult swimming marathons in the world – the Cook Strait, the distance between the North and South Islands of New Zealand, which we are going to swim in the period 1-10 April. Together with my team we will be in New Zealand – it consists of me and my coach and manager. The distance there is just over 25 km. in the waters of the Pacific Ocean with a water temperature of about 13 degrees.

That’s why we wanted to go to Tallinn, to train the adaptation of the body in these extreme conditions, because in New Zealand I will have to be prepared for a stay in the ocean waters of 5-6 hours”, added the Bulgarian swimmer about what is ahead of him.

Tsankov was asked by BGNES about the support from the Sport in Bulgaria Foundation, and was adamant that without the Foundation’s support, his success would not be a reality as he relies on funding from sponsors. “What I want to say is that we rely entirely on funding from sponsors. We don’t get any funding or assistance from the Bulgarian side – we are extremely dependent on and insist on our partnership with the Sport in Bulgaria Foundation. My success and results would not have been possible without this support. I am extremely grateful that there are still people and organizations in Bulgaria who stand behind the causes of Bulgarian sport, because the cause of Bulgarian sport should be a national cause for Bulgaria as well,” he concluded.

Source: BGNES