Dara Malinova (Bulgarian: Дара Малинова; born 27 February 2009) is a Bulgarianrhythmic gymnast.[1] She is the2024 European Junior silver medalist with ribbon. At national level she is the 2024 National Junior all-around champion.
Dara took up gymnastics at age 5, as her mom, a former national swimmer, and one of her friends brought her to the CSKA club's hall.[2] At the age of 7 Silvia Stoyneva took her to the club "Levski" where she stayed for another 2 years. In 2018, Krisi Shikerova founded the Sofia Sport Club, where Dara followed Bozhidara Racheva, who was her coach until she joined the national team.[3]
In 2021 she won silver in the national junior club championships with Sofia Sport 2017.[4] In the All-Around of the state championship she won the title. She won gold with hoop, silver with ball, bronze with ribbon and 4th with clubs, thus being included into the elite category.[3] Dara also won silver in the national individual championships, behindEva Emilova, and with hoop and ball as well as gold with clubs and ribbon.[5][6] At the first control training of 2022 she was 2nd in the All-Around and with ball, 3rd with hoop.[7] In the second control she was 5th in the All-Around.[8] She then took part in the Sofia Cup.[9]
In 2023, at theMiss Valentine tournament inTartu she won silver in teams alongElvira Krasnobaeva andNikol Todorova.[10] She ended 5th in teams, withMagdalena Valkova, at the Gymnastik International, winning bronze in the hoop final.[11][12] At the AGF Trophy inBaku she won bronze with clubs, she ranked 5th with ball, 6th with hoop and 8th with ribbon.[13] During the national championships she won four bronze medals, in the All-Around, with hoop, clubs and ribbon.[14][15]
Competing at Miss Valentine in 2024 Malinova won gold in teams, with hoop, clubs and bronze with ribbon.[16] She won All-Around's bronze among the girls born in 2009 at the Aphrodite Cup, getting another bronze with ribbon.[17][18] Dara,Alexa Rasheva andIda Stefanova won the national championships for clubs.[19] After winning bronze in teams at the Sofia IT, she managed to obtain a bronze and a gold medal in the hoop and ribbon finals.[20][21] Selected for the 1st edition of theEuropean Cup she won silver in teams, and bronze with hoop and clubs.[22][23][24] At nationals she won gold in the All-Around.[25] She also won gold medals in clubs and ribbon finals and bronze in ball.[26]
Malinova became a senior in 2025, debuting at theMiss Valentine Grand Prix inTartu.[27] In May, she competed at the2025 European Cup inBaku,Azerbaijan and won bronze medal in clubs and was 5th in ball. In Cross battle part of competition, she was beaten byDaniela Munits in 1st round with hoop.[28] In the end of May, she took 7th place in all-around behind at Bulgarian National Championships. She also won silver medal in ball and bronze in hoop and ribbon finals.[29]
Bulgaria
