Sergei Mureiko

Sergei Mureiko ( born July 2, 1970 in Chişinău, Moldavian SSR ) is a wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union, Moldova and Bulgaria. Winner of the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and Vice World Champion 1993 and 1995 in the Greco-Roman super heavyweight.

Career

Sergei Mureiko grew up in the Soviet Union and thus began the struggle. He concentrated on the Greco-Roman style, it was already extremely successful in the junior age when he in 1988 and 1989 junior world champion in the super heavyweight division has been in years. He also found at senior level immediately following the world's elite and proved this by winning and good rankings in major international tournaments. Nevertheless, the prospects were for him to be able to start even with the major international championships, very low, because since 1988, dominated in the Soviet Union Alexander Karelin the super heavyweight class, where was no getting past also for Sergei Mureiko. In this respect, the collapse of the Soviet Union was at the beginning of the 1990s for him a " windfall " because he was able to start for one of the successor states of the Soviet Union. He decided in 1993 for Moldova.

At the European Championships in 1993 in Istanbul Sergei was the first time for this country at the start, winning the bronze medal. Even more successful he was at the World Championships the same year in Stockholm, he even vice-world champion was behind Alexander Karelin. In the final, however, he was shouldered by the ligand is located in outstanding form Karelin in 1:40 minutes.

After a weaker 1994, he won at the World Championships only the 7th place, he also won at the 1995 International Championships again two medals. At the European Championships in Besancon he occupied after a 0-8 point defeat in the pool finale against Alexander Karelin through a secure victory over Juha Ahokas of Finland 3rd place and at the World Championships in Prague, he finished by a narrow point loss to Karelin in the final battle as the 1993 2nd place.

In the Olympic year 1996 Sergei finished first at the European Championships in Faenza behind Alexander Karelin and Pyotr Kotok from Ukraine again the 3rd place and then he won at the Olympic Games in Atlanta behind Alexander Karelin and Matt Ghaffari from the USA Olympic bronze medal. He delivered it in the pool finale against Karelin a good fight, which he narrowly lost 0-2 points. In the battle for the bronze medal defeating Pyotr Kotok clear on points.

For economic reasons, Sergei Mureiko decided in 1997 to start for Bulgaria. He became a member of the sports club Slavia Sofia - Litex and trained there from Bratan Tzenow.

Opened in 1997 for Sergei Mureiko by the absence of Alexander Karelin at the European Championships in Kouvola first time the chance to win a major championship. In fact, he could seize this opportunity and to win the European title before Juha Ahokas of Finland and Alexander Bechruschkin from Russia. At the World Championships the same year in Wroclaw Alexander Karelin was but there again, defeating Sergei already in the 2nd round 2-0 on points. Sergei but fought his way to the possibility for the bronze medal to wrestle, but lost to Hector Milian of Cuba.

1998 Sergei won with a third place at the European Championships in Minsk another medal. He had to put in the pool finale of Alexander Karelin a shoulder Lower Long after 2:24 minutes. At the World Cup 1998 in Gävle, Sweden was for him after a defeat against Matt Ghaffari soon terminus. He finished there the 6th Place.

1999 Sergei won at the World Championships in Athens again a World Championship medal. In the pool finals he went there with Alexander Karelin again over the full period of struggle, but could not prevent a 0-2 defeat point. With the same result Sergei was defeated Karelin in the final of the European Championship of 2000. He was Vice-European Champion before Mihaly Deak Bardos of Hungary and Yuri Ewseitschuk, one originating from Belarus Israeli.

The hope of another Olympic medal then fell through for Sergei at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney very soon. He met the same in the 1st round to Alexander Karelin, he lost to the on points. For his second fight against Deak Bardos, he joined an injury to no longer and ended up in 19th place very disappointing for him.

Despite this disappointment, sat Sergei Mureiko also to Sydney Ringer his career continued. He was really professional and lived on the rings. He proved in 2001 and again his strength and won again at the European Championships in Istanbul a bronze medal, which he narrowly missed the 4th place at the World Championships the same year in Patras.

In the next few years, no further successes with the exception of a 3rd place at the European Championship a 2004 in Haparanda for Sergei. He lost several times already in the 1st or 2nd round of a championship and therefore could only rarely placed in the front of the field.

Sergei Mureiko, like many other very good wrestler the bad luck that a wrestler standing on his time in Alexander Karelin in the super heavyweight on the mat, which could not be conquered from 1988 up to the 2000 Olympic Games. But he was. Along with Matt Ghaffari from the U.S. and Tomas Johansson of Sweden, the wrestler Alexander Karelin opposed the greatest resistance in the 1990s

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, SS = Super Heavyweight, then up to 130 kg, 125 kg and 120 kg body weight)

Swell

• Various issues of trade magazine The wrestler from the years 1988 to 2005