Radanova signs off on last Games

VANCOUVER, Canada: After competing in three Winter Olympic Games, Bulgarian veteran short track speed skater Evgenia Radanova has called an end to her Olympic journey and announced she will retire after this year's World Championships.

"I thought it would be done after Turin but a lot of people in Bulgaria wanted me to skate again, so that's why I decided to come back for this Olympics," the 32-year-old veteran told China Daily.

"This is my very last Olympics. I will retire after the World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the middle of March."

After picking up skating at the age of 10, Radanova has many achievements to be proud of.

She is the first Bulgarian athlete to compete at both the summer and winter Olympics as she represented her country in track cycling at the 2004 Athens Games.

She is also the first athlete in Bulgaria to win three medals at the Winter Olympics, including a silver and bronze in 500m and 1,000m at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games and another silver in the 500m four years later in Turin.

In a sport usually dominated by China and South Korea, she is the only European skater to pose a strong threat to the skaters from those two powerhouses and she held the world record in the women's 500m for six years before China's Wang Meng broke it in 2007.

"I didn't think I would skate for so many years. I skate year by year because I really love this sport. I just enjoy being here. If you can do it and enjoy doing it, then age is not a factor," she said.

During the women's 500m quarterfinals on Wednesday, Radanova finished third in her group, which also featured China's defending champion Wang and home favorite Jessica Gregg, and didn't qualify for the semis. But she was still satisfied with her performance.

"I think our quarterfinal was the one that was super fast. Two of the girls are super strong. For me, it was very difficult to compete against them. But I was trying my best," she said.

"It is hard to accept being eliminated so early but it depends on how the time was going for you before the Games. For me, I can say that this is one of my best 500m races this year."

As for her plans after retirement, Radanova said she won't leave speed skating.

"I will work for the sport in Bulgaria," she said.

(China Daily 02/19/2010 page12)