Bulgaria's Aleksandrov Gets Silver for Azerbaijan

Bulgarian single sculler Aleksandar Aleksandrov won the silver medal in the World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Brest, Belarus today. Sofia-born Aleksandrov rowed for his native Bulgaria until last year, having earned two golds and one silver from junior world championships in addition to a bronze in the first renewed senior European championships in 2007.

Earlier this year, Aleksandrov and three other Bulgarian rowers led by coach Yuliana Stoeva joined the national team of Azerbaijan, obviously due to disputes with some rowing officials in Bulgaria (see an earlier report on this website and more quotes from Stoeva in another article).

Curiously, Aleksandrov had been joined in the single scullers' Final A in Brest by another Bulgarian, Georgi Bozhilov who finished fourth. Both scullers rowed together in double in junior world championships in 2005 and finished eighth. Bozhilov was then 16 and Aleksandrov only 15 years old.