Stella Salapatyska (BUL)
Tribute courtesy of Robin
Catalano
1995 European Cup (Italy): 9th AA (tie)
1995 European Cup (Moscow): 9th AA (tie)
1995 Medico Cup: 11th AA, 4th clubs, 2nd ribbon (tie),
1995 International Tournament (Slovenia): 2nd AA, 1st
ball, 1st ribbon
1995 European Cup Final: 9th AA
1996 Coupe d'Opale: 9th AA
1996 Happy Rhythmic Days: 1st AA, 1st rope, 1st ball, 7th
clubs, 1st ribbon (tie)
1996 Chichmanova Cup: 1st AA
1996 Corbeil International: 11th AA
1996 European Championships: 5th AA, 7th ball (tie), 7th
ball (tie)
1996 World Team Championships: 2nd T, 3rd AA (tie), 1997
Chichmanova Cup: 1st AA, 1st rope, 1st hoop, 1st clubs,
1st ribbon
1997 Deriugina Cup: 4th AA, 6th rope, 3rd hoop, 5th
clubs, 5th ribbon (tie)
1997 Corbeil Cup: 4th AA
1997 Chichmanova Cup: 1st AA, 1st rope, 1st hoop, 1st
clubs, 1st ribbon
1997 European Championships: 7th AA, 6th rope, 7th ribbon
1998 Coupe d'Opale: 2nd AA
2000 Julieta Shishmanova Cup: 2nd AA, 1st rope (tie), 3rd hoop, 1st
ribbon
From Plovdiv comes yet another
great Bulgarian gymnast: Stella Salapatyska, who was born on
April 25, 1979, was primed to become the next in a long line of
hometown champions. But Salapatyska, unlike many of her
teammates, was never the type to take orders without question.
Unfortunately for the rhythmic world, her coach's intolerance for
this type of behavior cost an exceptional gymnast her career.
A gold in the team competition and
bronze in the all-around at the 1993 Junior European
Championships were Salapatyska's serve of notice to the elite
rhythmic scene. After the retirement of Bulgarian fixtures Maria Petrova and
Diana Popova, Salapatyska
established a foothold in the international rankings in 1996,
placing 5th at European Championships, 11th at Corbeil and 3rd at
the World Team Championships. In 1997, she placed 7th at the
European Championships and 4th at the Derjugina Cup and Corbeil.
She also made a clean sweep of all the golds at that year's
Shishmanova Cup.
Her one-of-a-kind routines
included great difficulty and unusual, angular body positions.
She punctuated each exercise with a variety of exciting tosses
and innovative catches, as well as first-rate apparatus technique
and body line. A mischievous theatricality set her apart, along
with the world's most perfect double illusion turn. In addition,
Salapatyska was the rare Bulgarian gymnast who combined that
system's pure technique, fine dance, and spot-on pirouettes with
excellent flexibility.
In 1997, Salapatyska was training
for the World Championships when she and teammate Maria Gateva
had an argument with the national team coach, Neshka Robeva.
Robeva threatened to quit her post if the federation did not
reprimand the two gymnasts. As a result, Salapatyska and Gateva
were suspended from the national team for two years. Despite an
official appeal, their sentences were not lifted.
Salapatyska entered the National
Sports Academy in Sofia and turned to former Bulgarian standout
Iliana Raeva for training. In 1998, she competed on behalf of
club Iliana at the prestigious Coupe d'Opale, where she came in
2nd all-around and won three golds (rope, hoop, ribbon) and
another silver (clubs). But with the passage of time, Salapatyska
recognized that her window of opportunity in this fickle sport
was quickly closing. She finally decided to retire in 1999,
joining the coaching staff of the club that took her in during
her troubles.
It's a shame, really, that the
greatest Bulgarian potential since Petrova was never given her
chance to shine. While we may never know the truth about the
coach-student conflict, one fact remains: Stella Salapatyska will
be remembered as one of the most tragically squandered talents in
rhythmic gymnastics history.
Update
(April 29, 2000). Salapatyska makes a comeback! After just two months
back in training, Stella Salapatyska placed second at the prestigious Julieta
Shishmanova Cup. Salapatyska's return was no doubt prompted -- at least in part
-- by the resignation of Bulgarian head coach Neshka Robeva, who was responsible
for suspending the gymnast back in 1997.
© 1999-2002. This page was created on June
30, 1999 and last updated July 2004.
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