Maria Tolkacheva, the national group exercise team coach, speaks about the team's debut at the World Cup in Sofia

Maria Tolkacheva, the national group exercise team coach, spoke about the team's debut at the World Cup in Sofia:

"It's definitely exciting. Especially the first appearance, because it was their first experience for the girls overall. Yes, we had girls at the European Junior Championships, two from the team, while the rest of the girls had no experience of international competitions at all. So, of course, it was very thrilling. But all the girls coped wonderfully with this excitement, with this pressure and with these expectations.The break was very long. Of course, we hoped, but we tried to take and focus on what we can do. And of course, we hoped for our best performance. The atmosphere was amazing, the audience supported us. The girls were liked by everyone."

She noted that during the preparation, the emphasis was on artistry:

"We tried to add more elements to the artistry. Of course, we honed our complexity, our difficulty of body elements. But there were some adjustments in terms of artistry."

The specialist also shared her plans for the near future:

"We'll rest a little and continue to work. We will polish our skills, improve, refine, and maybe add something. Of course, we will try not to stand still."

The group exercise gymnasts won gold in the all-around and in the exercise with three hoops and two pairs of clubs, and silver in the routine with five balls at the World Cup stage in Sofia.