Dr Stefan
Kolimechkov
A life shaped by gymnastics—and a career built by connecting movement, scientific research and practical teaching.
I am a researcher, gymnastics expert, active Masters gymnast and founder of Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy in London.
Gymnastics shaped the athlete, researcher, coach and founder I became.
I began as a gymnast in Bulgaria. The sport led me towards coaching, higher education and a lasting interest in how the body develops, performs and adapts.
When I moved to London in 2013, those paths continued together. I coached gymnastics while completing doctoral research in Physical Education, using questions from practice to sharpen my scientific thinking—and evidence to improve the way I understood teaching and movement.
Today, my work spans published research, gymnastics education, the leadership of KCGA and continued participation in Masters competition. STK SPORT is where these experiences come together and become useful to other people.
From Sofia to London.
The roles I hold today developed progressively—from practising the sport, to teaching it, researching it and building an academy around it.
Learning to coach
I began coaching at Levski Gymnastics Club in Sofia while continuing my university studies and competitive gymnastics.
A new chapter in London
I moved to the United Kingdom and began building my coaching and teaching career in London, working with children, adults, schools and gymnastics organisations.
Doctor of Philosophy
I completed a PhD in Physical Education at the National Sports Academy in Bulgaria. My doctoral work examined nutrition and health-related physical fitness in primary-school-aged artistic gymnasts.
Founding KCGA
I founded Kensington & Chelsea Gymnastics Academy, bringing together years of coaching, teaching, research and practical experience in the community where I live and work.
Research, leadership and continued participation
I am undertaking further doctoral research in Human Sciences at the University of Greenwich, directing KCGA and continuing to train and compete in Masters gymnastics.
Research informs practice. Practice keeps the questions real.
Research, coaching and athletic participation are different forms of knowledge. I do not treat them as interchangeable; I use each to understand the others more clearly.
Scientific research
Peer-reviewed publications and international conference work across gymnastics, physical fitness, exercise science, nutrition, microcurrent and healthy ageing.
Explore my research →Coaching and teaching
Experience working with children and adults, Qualified Teacher Status, coach education and the development of KCGA's evidence-informed approach.
Explore coaching →Continued competition
Training and Masters competition preserve a direct connection with the discipline, uncertainty and physical demands experienced by gymnasts.
Explore my sports career →
Still competing. Still connected to the sport.
Continued training and competition keep the physical, technical and psychological demands of gymnastics present in my work.
This is my performance on the Still Rings at the 2024 Men's London Open Gymnastics Championships—an example of the athletic practice that continues alongside research, coaching and the leadership of KCGA.
Explore my sports careerProfessional depth, independently verifiable.
Together, these highlights reflect a career developed across scientific research, education, coaching leadership and competitive gymnastics.
Academic and research profiles
Explore the external records behind my academic work, publications and professional roles.
Gymnastics for Life.
Gymnastics should not belong only to childhood or competition. Adapted thoughtfully, it can remain part of how we move, learn and challenge ourselves throughout life.
That idea shapes my research interests, my continued training and the way I think about coaching. It also gives STK SPORT its broader purpose: to make gymnastics and exercise knowledge clearer, more useful and more firmly connected to evidence.
Explore my sports careerStart a conversation with Dr Stefan.
For speaking, media, research collaboration, partnerships, coach education or selected consulting.