Eddie Penev (born 16 August 1990) is a Bulgarian former artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States national team where he was part of the gold medal-winning teams at the 2014 Pan American Championships and the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships. He competed in NCAA gymnastics for the Stanford Cardinal, where he was a three-time individual NCAA champion.

Early life Penev was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, to Youlia Coss (née Hristova) and Marian Penev, both of whom were former members of the Bulgarian national gymnastics team. His family moved to the United States when Penev was three years old. He is the older brother of Kevin Penev.

Gymnastics career 2007–2011: Representing Bulgaria Penev began representing Bulgaria in international competition in 2007. He competed at the 2007 World Championships but did not qualify for any event finals. At the 2009 European Championships, Penev finished eighth on floor exercise. At the 2010 World Championships, Penev qualified to the floor exercise final, where he finished sixth. At the 2011 World Championships he finished 70th in the all-around and did not qualify for any event finals.

2013–2021: Representing the United States In 2013, Penev officially switched his nationality to represent the United States in international competitions. He competed at the 2013 Winter Cup where he won the vault title. As a result, he was added to the United States national team for the first time. He made his international debut for the United States at the Anadia World Cup where he finished sixth on floor exercise. He competed at his first U.S. National Championships that year where he placed second on vault and was named to the United States national team.

At the 2014 Winter Cup, Penev co-won the event titles on floor exercise and vault. At the Anadia World Challenge Cup, he won gold medals on floor exercise and vault. Penev was named to the team to compete at the 2014 Pan American Championships where he helped the USA win gold. However, while vaulting Penev tore his ACL.

In 2016, Penev competed at the Pacific Rim Championships where he helped the USA win gold as a team. Individually he won gold on vault and silver on floor exercise behind teammate Jake Dalton. Penev competed at the 2016 Olympic Trials where he placed second on floor exercise; however he was not named to the Olympic team.

Penev was selected to compete at the 2017 World Championships, his first World Championships representing the United States. During the qualification round, he finished sixth on floor exercise but did not qualify for the final due to teammates Yul Moldauer and Donnell Whittenburg scoring higher. He was, however, the second reserve for the vault final. During the summer of 2018, Penev suffered his second ACL tear.

In 2021, Penev qualified to compete at the postponed-2020 Olympic Trials; however, while competing at a mock meet at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, Penev tore his ACL for the third time in seven years.

2023–2026: Return to Bulgaria In early 2023, the International Gymnastics Federation approved Penev's nationality change request, allowing him to once again represent Bulgaria in international competition. He immediately competed at various World Cups, winning gold medals on floor exercise in Varna and Osijek, and winning silver in Szombathely.

In 2024, Penev attempted to qualify for the Olympic Games via the World Cup circuit. He won bronze on floor exercise in Cairo and placed fourth in Baku. However, he had to withdraw from the Doha World Cup due to a shoulder injury.

Penev competed at various World Cups in the 2025 season. At the Varna World Challenge Cup, he won gold on floor exercise and bronze on vault.

On January 20, 2026, Penev announced his retirement from competitive gymnastics.

NCAA gymnastics career Penev began competing for the Stanford Cardinal in 2010. During his freshman season, he won the NCAA vault title. At the 2012 NCAA Championships, he won the titles on both floor exercise and vault.

Penev was awarded the Nissen-Emery Award in 2013, the highest honor for a senior collegiate gymnast.

Personal life He is openly gay.

Competitive history +Competitive history of Eddie Penev representing BulgariaYearEvent 2007 World Championships 90 2009 European Championships 8 2010 NCAA Championships World Championships 6 2011 NCAA Championships 5 World Championships 70 2012 NCAA Championships 5 2023 Varna World Challenge Cup 6 Osijek World Challenge Cup 5 Mersin World Challenge Cup 7 Szombathely World Challenge Cup 8 2024 Cairo World Cup Cottbus World Cup 17 Baku World Cup 4 2025 Baku World Cup 5 5 Osijek World Cup 6 Varna World Challenge Cup European Championships Szombathely World Challenge Cup World Championships 32 48

+Competitive history of Eddie Penev representing the United StatesYearEvent 2013 Winter Cup 4 7 15 8 13 13 NCAA Championships 7 Anadia Challenge Cup 6 U.S. National Championships 12 8 21 21 22 10 2014 Winter Cup 12 14 Anadia Challenge Cup U.S. National Championships 18 25 30 29 30 Pan American Championships 2015 U.S. National Championships 14 4 13 34 5 12 16 Toyota International 5 2016 Winter Cup 15 University of Calgary International Cup Pacific Rim Championships U.S. National Championships 13 16 28 19 20 16 Olympic Trials 11 7 15 11 2017 Winter Cup 13 10 14 25 Koper World Challenge Cup 4 U.S. National Championships World Championships 2019 Winter Cup 7 9 4 20 16 U.S. National Championships 21 4 2020 Winter Cup 5 2021 Winter Cup U.S. National Championships Olympic Trials

References

External links