Perhaps better known in the martial arts world as the “karate princess”, Bulgarian Maria Dimitrova has forged a major career in her chosen discipline. Having spent most of her life living in the Dominican Republic, she is six-time winner of the Karate Athlete of the Year award, as chosen by the Dominican Federation of Karate and Dominican Olympic Committee. She has also been a finalist of the republic’s National Youth Awards four times. Today, she is Chief Instructor of the Dominican Air Force’s karate team and National Junior Kata Coach for the Dominican Karate Federation.

Inspired by her karateka dad, Dimitrova began practising karate when she was just four years old. Her family emigrated from Bulgaria to the Caribbean when she was six, but she continued training and was soon entering local competitions. She came to the attention of the wider martial arts world in 2005 when she won her first two major international medals, at the WKF World Junior Karate Championship in Cyprus and the Pan-American Junior Karate Championship in Uruguay. The following year, she truly established herself by winning the gold medal for her country at the Central American and Caribbean Games. In 2008, having graduated to senior championships, Dimitrova finished fifth at Japan’s World Senior Karate Championship. In 2009, she formed a team with two of her students. The trio would go on to become three-time Pan-American champions.

Karate has bought Dimitrova plenty of accolades, but it has also allowed her to show her entrepreneurial side. She currently runs two “Dimitrova Dojo” karate schools (in Santo Domingo and La Esperilla) and has started her own equipment company, Martial Arts & Sportquip.