Mina Zdravkova (Bulgarian: Мина Здравкова) (born 9 February 1999) is a competitive ice dancer for Bulgaria. With partner Christopher Martin Davis, she is the 2020 Bulgarian National Champion,[1] Bronze Medallist at the 2019 NRW Trophy,[2] Silver Medallist at the 2020 Jégvirág Cup,[3] and representative for Bulgaria at the 2020 European Championships, and 2021 World Figure Skating Championships.[4] In her early career as a junior, Zdravkova represented Great Britain, partnered with Henry Aiken, attaining the Silver Medal at the 2013 British Junior National Championships.[5]
| Mina Zdravkova | |
|---|---|
 Zdravkova and Davis at the 2020 Bulgarian Figure Skating Championships | |
| Native name | Мина Здравкова |
| Born | 9 February 1999 Varna, Bulgaria |
| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Bulgaria |
| Partner | Christopher Martin Davis |
| Coach | Marika Humphreys-Baranova, Vitaliy Baranov |
| Skating club | Denkova Staviski - Dance on Ice |
| Began skating | 2003 |
Personal life
editZdravkova was born in Varna, Bulgaria. She is the daughter of retired Bulgarian World Cup footballer Radoslav Zdravkov.[6] Zdravkova has received international attention for her beauty and is frequently featured in lists of the most beautiful athletes.[7][8][9][10]
Early career
editZdravkova started skating with Henry Aiken in 2011. With Aiken she competed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit and won the silver medal at the 2013 British Figure Skating Championships.
Career
editIn 2014 Zdravkova partnered with Christopher Davis. Together they won the 2014/15 Bulgarian junior ice dance title.[11] In 2015, Davis sustained a serious shoulder injury for which he underwent keyhole surgery in the USA. Post surgery, a significant recovery and rehab period was required away from the ice. The surgery was not successful, and the injury returned early in the 2016/17 season. A second surgery was conducted in Bulgaria in 2016 and was successful at abating any further problems.[12] Starting in 2016 Zdravkova and Davis were coached solely by Marika Humphreys-Baranova and Vitaliy Baranov. Zdravkova and Davis returned to national level competition at the 2016/17 Bulgarian figure skating championships where they reclaimed their title.[13] In 2018 Zdravkova and Davis first performed a program set to Bulgarian folk music.[14][15] Their performance of this program at the 2019 Winter Universiade went viral in Bulgaria in 2019, amassing millions of views.[16][17] During the 2019/20 season, Zdravkova and Davis qualified and competed at the 2020 European Figure Skating Championships placing 25th. The team also qualified for the 2020 World figure skating championships, but the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. Due to COVID-19 Zdravkova and Davis were unable to train on the ice for over 7 months. During this time they trained off-ice and made several PSAs for Bulgarian media urging compliance with public health safety measures.[18][19][20] In December 2020, the Bulgarian National Championships were postponed until February 2021. Zdravkova and Davis reclaimed their title and were named to the world team.[21] Zdravkova and Davis competed at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships which were held in a bubble for the first time due to COVID-19 safety precautions, and placed 31st.[22][23][24]
Results
editWith Christopher Martin Davis for Bulgaria
edit| International[25] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 14–15 | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 | 18–19 | 19–20 | 20–21 |
| Worlds | Injured partner,
surgery & rehab |
C | 31st | ||||
| Europeans | 25th | ||||||
| Winter Universiade | 13th | ||||||
| CS Finlandia Trophy | 11th | ||||||
| CS Lombardia Trophy | 7th | ||||||
| CS Inge Solar Memorial | 14th | ||||||
| NRW Trophy | 3rd | ||||||
| Jégvirág Cup | 2nd | ||||||
| Bosphorus Cup | 4th | 10th | |||||
| Ice Star | 7th | ||||||
| Halloween Cup | 6th | 6th | |||||
| Volvo Open Cup | 8th | ||||||
| Santa Claus Cup | 10th | 8th | |||||
| Open d'Andorra | 10th | ||||||
| Mentor Toruń Cup | 15th | ||||||
| Egna Dance Trophy | 11th | ||||||
| International: Junior[26] | |||||||
| Bavarian Open | 15th | ||||||
| Mentor Toruń Cup | 21st | ||||||
| National[27][28] | |||||||
| Bulgarian Champ. | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| BSF Trophy | 1st (J) | ||||||
With Henry Aiken for Great Britain
edit| International: Junior[29] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Event | 12–13 | 13–14 |
| JGP Slovenia | 17th | |
| NRW Trophy | 27th (J) | |
| JGP Mexico Cup | 7th | |
| Ice Challenge | 10th (J) | |
| National[29] | ||
| British Junior National Championships | 5th | 2nd |
Music and competitive routines
editWith Christopher Martin Davis
edit| Season | Short/Rhythm Dance | Free Dance |
|---|---|---|
| 2014/15 | Samba & Latin rhythms
Loca [changed to La Tortura later in season] (Shakira) Hay Amores (Shakira) Hips Don't Lie (Shakira: Bambo remix) |
Gladiator Soundtrack :
Gladiator (Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard) |
| 2015/16 | Waltz and Polka
And The Waltz Goes On (Andrei Reiu) Polka (Unknown) |
Beyoncé inspired medley
Drunk in Love (Post modern jukebox) At Last (Beyoncé) Crazy in Love (Beyoncé: 50 Shades of Grey Soundtrack) Crazy in Love (Emilie Sande: Great Gatsby Soundtrack) |
| 2016/17 | Blues and Hip-Hop
I Put a Spell on You (Nina Simone) I Put a Spell on You (Young Bosnia Trap Remix) |
Arabian Inspired
Sirocco (Momo & Christophe Goze) Caleludemco (Bruno Montal) Layali (Al Sharq) |
| 2017/18 | Rhumba & Latin rhythms
Samba Vocalizado (Luciano Perrone) Safari (J Balvin) Abre Que Voy (Miguel Enriquez) |
Chicago Movie Musical
Cell Block Tango All I Care About Is Love |
| 2018/19 | Tango & Spanish rhythms
Selections from Carmen (Bizet) |
Bulgarian Folk Music
Ergen Deda (Pendara Ethno Project) Vecherai Rado (Slavi Trifanov, Desislava Dobreva & Ki-Ki Bend) |
| 2019/20 | Quickstep & related rhythms
From Chicago Movie Musical Funny honey (Rene Zelweiger) We both reached for the gun (Richard Gere & ensemble) Nowadays/hot honey rag (Catherine Zeta Jone, Rene Zelweiger) |
Bulgarian Folk Music
Ergen Deda (Pendara Ethno Project) Vecherai Rado (Slavi Trifanov, Desislava Dobreva & Ki-Ki Bend) |
With Henry Aiken
edit| Season | Short Dance | Free Dance |
|---|---|---|
| 2012/13 | Blues and Swing
It Don't Mean A Thing (Puppini Sisters) |
Selections from Tarzan - Disney Movie Soundtrack (Phil Colins) |
| 2013/14 | Quickstep and Foxtrot
Puttin' on the Ritz (Fred Astaire - Club des Belugas Remix) Cheek to Cheek (Fred Astaire) Cheek to Cheek (DJ Disse & Betina Bager, featuring Fred Astaire) |
Alice in Wonderland Soundtrack (Danny Elfman)
Introduction - Edward Scissorhands Motion Picture Soundtrack (Danny Elfman) |
References
edit- ^ "ISU Skater Biography - Zdravkova & Davis". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "NRW Summer Trophy 2019 - Senior Ice Dance". deu-event.de. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "JÉGVIRÁG CUP 2020 - Ice Dance Senior Results". hunskate.hu. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "ISU European Championships Results 2020 - Ice Dance". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "Results – 2013 British Championships | ice-dance.com". www.ice-dance.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ Blitz.bg/Sport. "Щерката на Ради Здравков прави фурор в Англия". Blitz.bg/sport (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Мина Здравкова сред най-секси фигуристките". Gol (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Красавицы-фигуристки несостоявшегося ЧМ в Канаде: фото - 22 марта 2020 - Sport24". sport24.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ Monitor.bg. "Мина Здравкова сред най-секси фигуристките". www.monitor.bg. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ Адамов, Алексей. "Самые красивые фигуристки чемпионата Европы. Хоть в чём-то ученицы Тутберидзе не первые?". www.championat.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Davis Takes a Chance and Earns 10 | ISI". Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ says, Katy S. (2017-11-25). "Ice Dance at the Open D'Andorra". iceskating.london. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ ""Запомнете това име": Мина Здравкова". sportal.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Мина Здравкова: Винаги съм имала страст към българските народни танци". bnr.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Най-добрите ни фигуристи покориха публиката с "Вечеряй, Радо" | Dnes.bg". www.dnes.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ ""Къси разкази": В търсене на партньор по света". nova.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ Mina Zdravkova and Christopher M. Davis, retrieved 2021-05-06
- ^ "Coronavirus: Dancing on Ice coach warns of ice skating concern". BBC News. 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Коронавирусът провали и Световното първенство по фигурно пързаляне". bTV. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Пандемията натъжи, но не сломи най-добрата ни двойка по фигурно пързаляне". Bgonair (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Александра Фейгин и танцовата ни двойка с нови волни програми за СП". bnr.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Фигурното пързаляне се завръща в ефира на Евроспорт". Eurosport (in Bulgarian). 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Фигуристите на леда само срещу дневник на Мондиал 2020 - Труд". trud.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "И наша двойка на световното по фигурно пързаляне". www.24chasa.bg. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "ISU Skater Results Summary Table". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "ISU Skater Results Summary Table". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "Profile – Mina Zdravkova & Christopher Martin Davis | ice-dance.com". www.ice-dance.com. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
- ^ "ISU Skater Results Summary Table". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ a b "ISU Skater Biography - Zdravkova & Aiken". www.isuresults.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.