Petar Popangelov
Encyclopedia
Petar Popangelov is a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

n alpine skier known at home by his nickname "Pepe" Popangelov. He won the 1977 European Cup in slalom World Cup
Alpine skiing World Cup
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...

 in Lenggries
Lenggries
Lenggries is a municipality in Bavaria, Germany. Lenggries is the center of the Isarwinkel, the region along the Isar between Bad Tölz and Wallgau...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. He continued racing in World Cup events for more than a decade from 1977 through 1988, finishing eleven times in first, second, or third place.

Pepe Popangelov competed in four Winter Olympiads http://www.the-sports.org/alpine-skiing-popangelov-petar-results-identity-s12-c2-b4-o66-w107130.html. He took sixth place in two of those outings at the 1980 games in Lake Placid and at the 1984 games in Sarajevo. . He won 26 Bulgarian national championships during his career.

Popangelov's father, the late Petar Popangelov Senior, was "Pepe's" trainer and was a famous Bulgarian ski champion in his own right who competed in five Winter Olympiads.

After earning such distinctions, the Popangelov family was awarded property in the Bulgarian ski resort of Borovets where they built their own bed & breakfast lodge and ski school known as the Hotel Popangelov. Pepe runs it with his wife Zoya. They have two daughters. The fireplace mantel and an entire wall in the hotel restaurant display a collection of photos and memorabilia chronicling Pepe Popangelov's ski career from toddler to champion, including a few of his 128 cups and 180 medals. He remains Bulgaria's best skier of all time.

One of the ski pistes in Borovets was renamed "Popangelov" in honor of Pepe. It is the site of an annual youth ski competition launched in 2010 in memory of the senior Popangelov, where Pepe personally awards trophies to aspiring boys and girls. Pepe Popangelov appears at international ski competitions held in Bulgaria and has been the advertising face of elite brand skis and automobiles.
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