Just a few days ago Albena and Maxim proved once again that they are among the world's skating elite by winning the European silver in Budapest.

"The awarding ceremony was the hardest part of the entire tournament", Maxim says when talking for the past event, smiling sadly, "because when everyone is telling that you should be the winner its very hard to step on the second stair."

The two swept the silver medal though both figure skating experts and the audience unanimously agreed that the Bulgarian couple deserve the gold.

Despite all that Maxim underlines that what really matters is the fact that they enjoyed the support of the public, "their applauses are our reward".

Albena and Maxim teamed up in 1996, when Albena's partner Hristo Nikolov retired. She started skating at the age of 8, while Maxim's parents determined his future when he was 4. Albena was a gymnast before switching to skating. And Maxim, who is originally from Russia, but got Bulgarian citizenship, has also skated in a Russian ice ballet.

Their grand success came when they landed the bronze medal at the figure skating World Championship in Washington. The medal they swept was a historic result, as Bulgaria had never been medalled in World Championships before.

When talking about the figure skating tournaments Maxim points out there are no easy competitions as the rivalry is very strong and there are a lot of great skating couples at present.

The 2004 European figure skating championships impressed the great figure skater with fact that the public, including their parents, gave them a very warm welcome, by standing on their feet wrapped up in the Bulgarian flag. "That was a great experience", Maxim added, "It is always a pleasure to see that, and I hope it happens oftener."

The smiling Bulgarian couple is always a center of attention, whether on the ice or not. Being two bright personalities Maxim and Albena take all life offers, never fearing to try something new and risky. And their skating programs prove that, as the two are said to be among the most innovative skating pairs in the world.

And now, what comes after the 2004 European silver? "Just a day or two off and then everything starts all over again, training, hard work and competitions", says Maxim, showing once again what it takes to be on the top.