Andriy Kalashnykov

Andrij Mykolaiowytsch Kalaschnykow (Ukrainian Андрій Миколайович Калашников; born November 20, 1964) is a former Soviet and Ukrainian wrestler. He was European champion in 1987 and 1996 and bronze medalist at the 1996 Olympics in Greco-Roman flyweight.

Career

Andrij Kalaschnykow appeared first time in 1987 to at an international championship wrestler. He competed for the Soviet Union at the European Championships in Tampere in Greco- Roman style. Until then, he was completely unknown in the Ringer circles outside the Soviet Union. He will be gone the way of all the top wrestlers of the USSR Before Tampere: early recognition of his talents, intensive support and training in one of the power centers of the Soviet Union Ringer.

In Tampere he showed equal his great skill and immediately became European champion. In the final he defeated always superior Vadász Csaba from Hungary with 14:4 techn. Points. Nevertheless, he came in the next few years only at the European Championships 1989 in Oulu used. He arrived there in the flyweight but only on the 5th Place. His rivals in the USSR and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (1992 ) were primarily Alexander Ignatenko, Oleg Kucherenko and Alfred Ter - Mkrtchyan.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Andriy Kalaschnykow launched in 1993 for Ukraine. He was there the sports club Kolos Kiev and was developed by VT Bertschuk and Nikolai Korol trained. His first start for Ukraine at an international championship he graduated at the European Championships in 1993 in Istanbul. In the flyweight he fought there until the final before, in which he said Azerbaijanis Natig Aiwasow who was frenetically cheered by the Turkish audience, just 0-2 techn. Points subject. Disappointing for then the 1993 World Championships in Stockholm, for there he left early and came flyweight only on the 10th Place.

At the European Championships in 1994 in Athens Andrij Kalaschnykow missed 5th place, which he won with a convincing victory over Rebegea Valentin from Romania, the medal ranks. But at the World Cup this year in Tampere he made the leap back " on the podium ". After a defeat in the semi-final against Natig Aiwasow he hit there in the fight for a world championship bronze medal Alpha Jet Elgian Sarkis from Greece.

At the European Championships in 1995 in Besançon he came to 3rd place. He won this place with a win over Samwel Danieljan from Russia. In the 1995 World Cup he was not at the start.

1996 celebrated Andriy Kalaschnykow then at the European Championships in Budapest, his second victory in an international championship. With a win in the final with 4:1 techn. Points over poor Nasarjan from Armenia, he won his second European title after a gap of nine years since his first title win. Poor Nasarjan it was then that the dream destroyed him in Atlanta at the Olympics this year in his first fight from the Olympic victory, because Nasarjan beat him with superior technical 10:0. Points. Despite this defeat deklassierenden Andrij Kalaschnykow did not give up and fought his way with victories over Pappu Yadav, India ( 11:0 ), Valentin Rebegea (3:1 ), Alfred Ter - Mkrtchyan (3-0), Andrew Jordan, Bulgaria ( 5: 0) and Samwel Danieljan (4:1), and in between was another defeat against Dariusz Jabłoński from Poland ( 5:8 ), but still the Olympic bronze medal in the flyweight.

In the following years, he participated until 2000, when international championships, Andrij Kalaschnykow succeeded no more medal win. With a 4th place at the European Championships 1998 in Minsk, where he was subject, inter alia, against Oleg Kucherenko from Germany and a 4th place finish at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, where he. battle for the bronze medal against Kang Yong- gyun from North Korea with 0:7 techn Points lost, but he still came close to a medal zoom.

International success

Note: all contests in Greco -Roman style, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, Flyweight, then to 52 kg body weight