Taras Danko

Taras Danko Grigorijewitsch ( born July 3, 1980 in Kiev) is a Ukrainian wrestler. He won at the 2008 Olympics and a bronze medal in 2005 European Champion in each case in free style at middleweight.

Career

Taras Danko began as a teenager with the rings. His trainer is his father Grigori Danko. He is a member of the Sport Club Dinamo Kiev and wrestles exclusively in free style. The Freshman wrestling since 1996 in international championships. This year he competed in the European Junior Championship ( Cadets, age group up to 16 years ) in Tehran in the weight category to 83 kg body weight. Throughout his career to date, he was always in the middleweight division, which in the seniors the weight limit at 84 kg, has at the start. This meant that he had to work off with security at every competition many kilos. In Tehran, he was equal to his first medal win, because he came there the 3rd place.

Other winning medals at international junior championships he came in 1998, where he behind Alexei Krupniakow from Russia Vice-World Champion was in Istanbul in 1999 in Riga, where he was behind Oleg Katlagow from Russia Vice-European Champion, 1999 World Junior Championships in Sydney, where he behind Vadim Lalijew from Russia, with whom he should deliver also with the seniors still hot duels, in turn, became vice - world champion and finally in 2000 in Nantes, where he made ​​at the Junior world Championships behind Saschid Saschidow from Russia and Shahab Ghorbani Iran placed 3rd.

In the senior Taras Danko came only in 2003, his first appearance at an international championship. At the European Championships in Riga, he came here after two wins because of one defeat in his third fight against Vadim Lalijew on the 6th Place. A medal he missed at the Olympic Games in Athens, where he again lost after victories against Mahomed Agajew from Armenia and Yavaşer Gökhan from Turkey in his third fight against Moon Eui- jae of South Korea and thus came on the 7th Place.

In 2005, he landed at the European Championships in Varna his greatest success to date in his career, for he was with four wins European champion at middleweight. In the semifinals, he defeated it Rewas Mindoraschwili from Georgia and in the final Serhat Balcı each on points. At the World Championships the same year in Budapest, he lost in the semifinals against Yoel Romero Palacio from Cuba, but defeated in the final battle for the bronze medal Radoslaw Horbik from Poland.

In 2006 he also won a bronze medal, which he won with a points victory over David Bichinashvili from Germany at the European Championships in Moscow. In the semifinals, he had previously lost to Adam Saitijew from Russia. In the 2006 World Cup in Guangzhou / China, he lost again in the semifinals. Saschid Saschidow from Russia defeated him on points. Taras Danko then also lost the battle for the bronze medal, in which he had to bow against Reza Yazdani of Iran.

In 2007, he was only at the European Championships in Sofia at the start. He takes back the way with four wins in the final, where he lost to Georgi Ketojew from Russia on points. He became vice - European champion.

In 2008 Taras Danko came at the European Championships in Tampere to a Niederlag in the first round against Vadim Lalijew only to 14th place because Laliew not reached the final battle. The resulting lack of qualification for the Olympic Games in Beijing Taras Danko then tried to fight in a tournament in Martigny / Switzerland. This plan failed, however, because he reached there, only the 11th place, which was not sufficient for the qualification. But this qualification he made then at the last held Qualifying Tournament in Warsaw, where he won ahead of Gennadi Lalijew from Kazakhstan and Radoslaw Horbik.

In Beijing Taras Danko triumphed over Jorlys Ariel Mosquera from Colombia, then lost against Yusup Abdussalomow from Tajikistan. As this reached the final, he could continue to fight in the consolation round, where she won with victories over Sandeep Kumar from India and Serhat Balcı still an Olympic bronze medal.

International success

Note: all the competitions in free style, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, Middleweight, up to 2001 kg and 85 kg, from 2002-84 kg body weight (bw )

Swell

• Database of the Institute for Applied Training Science at the University of Leipzig,
• Journal The Ringer,
• Sites in the U.S., the Iranian and Russian wrestler Association