Coach Stefan
Meet Dr Stefan Kolimechkov
Welcome to the profile of Dr Stefan Kolimechkov, founder and head coach of the Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy. For over 20 years, Stefan has devoted his life to gymnastics — not only as a gymnast and coach, but also as a scientist researching the sport he loves.
This page is more than just a CV; it’s a story of passion, dedication, and excellence. As a parent, you’ll see why your child will be in safe hands with a coach who combines world-class expertise, scientific knowledge, and genuine care for every student.
To make it easier to follow, we’ve divided Stefan’s journey into:
-
✨ Short Introduction – a quick overview of who Stefan is today.
-
🤸 Sports Career – highlights from his performances as a gymnast.
-
🎓 Education & Scientific Research – degrees, publications, and contributions to sport science.
-
🏅 Professional Experience – videos and photos from his coaching career.
-
⭐ Credentials & Recognition – memberships, publications, and official registrations that underline his professional authority.
Take your time exploring this page — and enjoy the videos, photos, and stories that showcase Stefan’s unique path in gymnastics.
So, who is Dr Stefan Kolimechkov? Let’s start with some facts.
Dr Stefan Kolimechkov
Age: 37
Born in: Bulgaria
Dual Nationality: Bulgarian and British citizenship
Lives in: London, United Kingdom
Education: PhD in Physical Education
Position: Director of Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy Ltd
Occupation: Personal Trainer / Gymnastics Coach
Personal website: www.stk-sport.co.uk
Head Office: Niddry Lodge, 51 Holland Street, Kensington, London W8 7JB, UK
Dr Stefan Kolimechkov — Founder & Head Coach
Boutique, science-led gymnastics coaching in Kensington & Chelsea, London.
Dr Stefan Kolimechkov leads Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy with a rare blend of competitive gymnastics experience, PhD-level expertise, and a boutique coaching philosophy. A lifelong gymnast who has competed in national-level championships in Bulgaria and continues to take part in Masters competitions, Stefan combines his athletic journey with more than 20 years of coaching practice.
He is also a published researcher in physical education and sport, having presented his work at international scientific conferences across Europe, Asia, and North America. His mission is to bring the very best of scientific knowledge into practical, personalised coaching for children and adults.
Based in Kensington & Chelsea, Stefan runs small-group classes (max 8) with an exceptional 4:1 student–coach ratio, as well as private lessons in studios and in clients’ homes across the Royal Borough. Every programme is individualised, evidence-based, and designed to build strength, flexibility, confidence, and lifelong enjoyment of movement.
At a glance
-
Active competitive gymnast (Masters level)
-
Competed in national-level championships in Bulgaria
-
PhD in Physical Education & Sport; internationally published researcher
-
20+ years coaching; 15+ years in London
-
Founder & Director, Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy
-
Small groups (max 8) and 4:1 student–coach ratio
-
Children & adults, studio and at-home coaching in Kensington & Chelsea
Sports Career
Stefan’s maltese cross on the Rings at the 2023 Adult Gymnastics British Championships.
Athlete Career — A Lifelong Gymnast
Dr Stefan Kolimechkov’s journey in sport began in Bulgaria, where he trained and competed in artistic gymnastics. He participated in numerous national-level championships, gaining a deep understanding of the discipline, dedication, and resilience that the sport requires.
Unlike many coaches who move away from performance after starting their careers, Stefan has remained a lifelong gymnast. Today, he proudly competes at Masters level events across Europe, demonstrating not only technical excellence but also the philosophy that gymnastics is for all ages.
His continued participation as an athlete ensures that he coaches with a first-hand understanding of the challenges his students face — whether children learning their first cartwheel or adults striving to improve fitness, flexibility, and confidence.
Highlights
-
Competed in national-level gymnastics competitions in Bulgaria
-
Active Masters gymnast with participation in international events
-
Brings athlete’s perspective directly into every coaching session
The gallery below features Stefan’s most recent performances for his club in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Stefan was awarded the bronze medal, and in 2024 he won the gold medal at the Adult Gymnastics British Championships in his age category (30+ for master’s athletes). In 2024, Stefan was also part of the GB Gymnastics Team for masters athletes, and he took part at the 2024 Master’s Gymnastics World Cup in Cambridge, MA, USA, where he helped the team to rank 4th. Stefan also ranked 12th on the Rings as an individual representing the Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy.
Education and Scientific Research
Bachelor of Arts
Sport and Physical Education
Stefan completed his education in Bulgaria with remarkable success. During his Bachelor’s degree at the National Sports Academy, Stefan received high praise for his exceptional coursework presentation. Professor Nikola Hadjiev PhD, DSc, a distinguished figure in the gymnastics world, commended the work for its clarity and engaging delivery, awarding it the highest possible mark and recognizing Stefan’s potential. In 2011, Stefan obtained his Bachelor’s degree in two majors: Sports and Physical Education.
Master of Arts
Physical Education
In 2012, Stefan pursued a Master’s degree in Physical Education, focusing his research on the nutritional habits of young gymnasts. Under the guidance of Dr. Lubomir Petrov, he successfully completed his dissertation, earning the highest possible grade. His academic achievements, including a GPA of 5.94 and 62 credits, led to him being awarded a Master’s degree from the renowned institution, The National Sports Academy in Bulgaria, which is known for its high-quality physical education programmes that meet European standards.
Doctor of Philosophy
Pedagogy of Physical Education
In 2013, Stefan moved to London and started working as a gymnastics coach. In 2015, he started a distance learning PhD programme in Physical Education at the National Sports Academy in Bulgaria while living and working in London. Stefan focused his research on the physical development and nutrition of young gymnasts. Throughout his PhD programme, he published in international journals, presented at prestigious conferences, and earned several professional certifications. His dedication and achievements culminated in the successful defence of his doctoral thesis in 2018, earning him the title of Doctor of Philosophy.
In 2018, at the age of 30, Stefan Kolimechkov was officially admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, which has been one of his greatest achievements in his life. The video below contains unique moments from Stefan’s PhD defence at the National Sports Academy in Bulgaria.
Dr Stefan Kolimechkov brings a PhD in Physical Education & Sport and a track record of peer-reviewed research and international conference presentations to every KCGA programme. His work focuses on how children grow, learn skills, and stay healthy—so training at the Academy is not only inspiring, but scientifically sound, safe, and measurable.
Research focus (what Stefan studies)
-
Child fitness & motor development — how strength, flexibility, balance and coordination progress with age and training.
-
Health & body composition in youth — building healthy habits and monitoring growth appropriately for children.
-
Gymnastics-specific methods — evidence-based progressions for flexibility, core strength, and skill acquisition.
-
Education & behaviour — coaching environments that build confidence, motivation, and lifelong enjoyment of movement.
How this benefits your child at KCGA
-
Evidence-based coaching: Every session follows safe, age-appropriate progressions grounded in research.
-
Small groups, measurable progress: With our 4:1 student–coach ratio, we track flexibility, strength and skill milestones so families can see clear development.
-
Holistic wellbeing: Guidance on recovery, mobility, and healthy routines that support growing bodies.
-
Personalisation: Programmes are adapted to each child’s stage of development—not a one-size-fits-all class.
As part of his scientific interests, Stefan presented research related to gymnastics at one of the biggest conferences in the world, including the ECSS congress, ACSM annual meeting, BASES conference, and others. Probably, one of the most important presentation was the one given at the 2019 ECSS Congress in Prague, in which Stefan presented findings from a study on body composition and nutrient intake of elite rhythmic gymnasts from Bulgaria. The participants of this study consisted of a unique sample of world-class competitors, bronze medallists from the 2016 Olympic games in Rio, and gold medallists from World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. You can watch a video of Stefan’s presentation below.
Coach Stefan spent more than a decade researching the effects of the gymnastics practice on the health-related fitness of children. He published multiple articles in international scientific journals within the areas of sport, health and exercise sciences as a lead author and co-author. Stefan presented his research work around the world (check the gallery below).
You can read Stefan’s articles on Google Scholar.
Academic highlights
-
PhD in Physical Education & Sport with publications in peer-reviewed journals.
-
Research presented internationally at scientific conferences.
-
Ongoing collaboration between coaching practice and research, ensuring KCGA’s methods remain current and rigorous.
Want the full academic record?
Explore Stefan’s publications and conference papers here: Publications & Research, or request a summary relevant to your child’s goals.
Qualified Teacher Status
Stefan holds a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for teaching in schools in England, awarded by the Department for Education in the UK in 2014.
Gymnastics Coach
Stefan holds the Level 3 UK Coaching Qualification in Gymnastics, awarded by British Gymnastics in 2018.
Doctor of Philosophy
Stefan possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Sports, as well as a Master’s degree and a PhD in Physical Education (with a Doctoral thesis on the benefits of gymnastics at primary school age).
Stefan continued his higher education in the United Kingdom. In line with his short and long-term goals, interests, and passion for research, Stefan took the decision to pursue a second PhD. He is currently an MPhil/PhD postgraduate research student at the University of Greenwich, London. Stefan’s project explorers the effectiveness of microcurrent electrical stimulation and resistance exercise on counteracting the loss of muscle mass and strength which accompanies ageing.
Professional Experience
- DIRECTOR / GYMNASTICS COACH
Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy Ltd, London, United Kingdom (2022 – PRESENT) - GYMNASTICS COACH / PERSONAL TRAINER
STK SPORT, London, United Kingdom (2013 – 2022) - GYMNASTICS COACH
St Edmund’s Primary School, London, United Kingdom (2015 – 2018) - GYMNASTICS COACH
Elite Gymnastics Academy CIC, London, United Kingdom (2013 – 2020) - GYMNASTICS COACH
Levski-Spartak 08 Gymnastics Club, Sofia, Bulgaria (2008 – 2012)
Throughout the years, Stefan worked in Bulgaria at the Levski Gymnastics Club between 2008 and 2012, and in the UK at the Elite Gymnastics Academy CIC between 2013 and 2020. In addition to coaching for the Elite Gymnastics Academy, he also worked as a gymnastics teacher, once a week, at St Edmund’s Primary School in London from January 2015 until July 2018. Moreover, Stefan volunteered as a Physical Education Assistant at this school for those 3.5 years, and some of the children participated in the control group for his PhD research. Stefan was featured twice in the school newsletter, and the Year 1 and Year 2 gymnastics school teams won 3rd places at the Borough Gymnastics Festival, which was their best finish to date!
Overall, Stefan coached hundreds of children, many of whom took part in gymnastics competitions. With passion for gymnastics and lots of hard work, many of his gymnasts won certificates and medals from club, regional and national gymnastics competitions in Bulgaria and the UK. During this time, Stefan was also building his personal gymnastics training business, STK SPORT, running his own coaching services for private clients and schools here in London. In June 2022, having had all of the experience outlined on this page, Stefan incorporated the Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy in London, England.
HIGHLIGHTS OF STEFAN’S COACHING CAREER IN BULGARIA
In the videos below you can watch some of Stefan’s best gymnasts, starting with David on Parallel bars at the 2012 Bulgarian Gymnastics Championships. David won the silver medal in this National competition, and became the Parallel Bars Vice-Champion of Bulgaria at the age of 7. This was a huge success as he competed with more than 100 other gymnasts from the best gymnastics clubs in Bulgaria at the age category between 7 and 10 years.
During his university education, Stefan spent 5 years working part-time as a gymnastics coach at the Levski Gymnastics Club between 2008 and 2012. Levski Gymnastics Club is one of the biggest clubs for the sport of gymnastics in Bulgaria. Levski GC is also a member and part of Levski Sports Club, which is the oldest sports organisation in the country. The club has had many great gymnasts, one of whom was the Olympic champion on Pommel horse in Seul 1988, Lyubomir Geraskov. The gallery below outlines some of the best moments in Stefan’s coaching career in Bulgaria.
Amongst the all lovely presents that Stefan has received by his gymnasts and their parents, the tea cup ‘I Love My Coach’ given by David Shaumian, age of 8, and parents (Dessy & Erik) has become the greatest one ever. At the age of 7, David won a silver medal from the 2012 Bulgarian Gymnastics Championships. He performed an astonishing routine on Parallel bars and became a Vice-Champion with score of 19.600, just 0.1 after the gold medallist. It is a remarkable success as the competition for his age group (Boys Under the age of 10) included around 100 of the best gymnasts from all over the country. We would like to say Thank you so much to Stefan’s best gymnast David and his lovely family for their dedication, care and love through all these years!
And here it is… Stefan’s last event at Levski GC, the club he grew up, and the club he coached for 5 years. This event was very special for Stefan and for many of the gymnasts and parents too (watch the video below). For a second year, Stefan organised the Gymnastics Show in which parents have the chance to see their children performing gymnastics for fun, without the stress from competitions, as well as a chance to learn about the findings of Stefan’s study (as part of his Master’s degree) on physical development and nutrition of young gymnasts. It was also the last sports event for Stefan before moving to the UK.
‘Dear parents, gymnasts and colleagues, as you may already know, I am moving to London, therefore I would like to say thank you so much for being not just clients, but friends, good friends and I feel many of you as a family. I know I will miss you very much, that’s why I have done my best to make you love this sport the way that I do. It has been all done for you, for your children, for us, to remember and be proud of what has been achieved.’
Yours in Sport , coach Stefan Kolimechkov
In December 2012, in Stefan’s last year at the Levski GC, Mr Prodanov (president of Levski GC & ex-president of the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation) and Mrs Stanka Pavlova (honorary national coach & Sports Director of Levski GC) gave him a special award for outstanding contribution to the club and the local community. Stefan had a fantastic time in the club, coaching gymnastics while studying for his Bachelor’s and Masters degrees at the National Sports Academy in Bulgaria. During these 5 years (2008-2012) Stefan was mentored by university experts in gymnastics and sports science, as well as one of the best gymnastics coaches in the country, Mr Pandezov and Mrs Pavlova.
HIGHLIGHTS OF STEFAN’S COACHING CAREER IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Stefan moved to London in 2013 and started working for the Elite Gymnastics Academy based in North London. He coached boys and girls in pre-school, general, and artistic gymnastics at this club from 2013 to 2020, and he also competed and performed for the club at competitions and other sports events. Videos highlighting some of those events are presented below. From 2015 to 2018, Stefan was also working as a gymnastics coach at the local school, St Edmund’s Primary School. In addition, Stefan provided personal training in gymnastics and fitness for private clients in London, as well as gymnastics coaching services to some schools and clubs from 2013 to 2022 as part of his self-employed business called STK SPORT.
Overall, Stefan contributed to the development of children involved in pre-school, general, and women’s artistic gymnastics, and the gymnasts from his boy’s squads won multiple medals at club and regional artistic gymnastics competitions. Stefan also performed gymnastics together with his students from the Elite Gymnastics Academy on multiple occasions in competitions and other events in order to popularise the sport at schools and sports centres. The top achievements of Stefan’s coaching at the Elite Gymnastics Academy were made by his gymnasts: Blake (Vault Champion in London at the NDP Artistic Gymnastics Club Grades in 2014) and Fergus (Floor Champion in London at the NDP Artistic Gymnastics Club Grades in 2014, and Floor and Vault Champion in London at the 2017 London Artistic Gymnastics Championships). The highlight of Stefan’s coaching at St Edmund’s Primary School was the winning of the 3rd place at the Borough Gymnastics Festival. The gallery below features some of the best moments in this chapter of Stefan’s coaching.
At the end of 2020, Stefan took the decision to leave his part-time role at the Elite Gymnastics Academy in order to concentrate on his passions in life (involvement in scientific research in the UK, and building up his personal training consultancy business). Thank you to Olga Berzing, the manager of the Elite GA, for the opportunities she provided for Stefan at her club, to learn and grow as a gymnastics coach.
⭐ Credentials & Recognition
Dr Stefan Kolimechkov’s work has been recognised internationally across both coaching and academic fields:
-
📚 Academic Publications: Author of more than 25 peer-reviewed scientific papers in exercise science and physical education.
-
🎤 Conference Presentations: Presented original research at international conferences across Europe, Asia, and North America.
-
🏅 Professional Memberships: Member of British Gymnastics, London Gymnastics, and CIMSPA (Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity).
-
🏛 Official Registrations: Listed with Companies House (UK), HMRC, and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
-
🏆 Awards & Recognition: Honoured for contributions to gymnastics coaching and sport science, both in Bulgaria and the UK.
In June 2022, having had all of the experience outlined above, Stefan incorporated the Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy in London, England. This unique combination of hands-on coaching excellence and scientific expertise makes Dr Kolimechkov one of the most versatile figures in the world of boutique gymnastics coaching. Visit our Gallery to see the best of Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics.
