Valentin Yordanov

Valentin Yordanov Dimitrov (also Valentin Yordanov Dimitrov wrote, Bulgarian Валентин Йорданов; born January 26, 1960 in Sandrowo, Russian Oblast ) is a former Bulgarian wrestler. He was Olympic champion and multiple world and European champion in free style flyweight.

Career

Valentin Yordanov started at the age of 10 years in his hometown with the rings. He was trained up in 1978 by Georgi Achew and focused entirely on the free style. At 18, he joined the Bulgarian army and became a member of the Central Sports Club of the Army CSKA Sofia, where Jantscho Patrikeew took over his training. In the further career development Jordan Christow was added as an additional coach. During his playing days, wrestling was his profession. He visited at the end of his career but the National Sports Academy Sofia ( Национална спортна академия " Васил Левски " ) and was trained there as a trainer for rings. From 1990 to 1996 he lived and trained in the United States. After returning to Bulgaria, 1996, he founded the sports club Slavia Sofia Litex, whose president he became. In 1998 he was elected President of the Bulgarian Association Ringer.

The first major successes were achieved by Valentin Yordanov already in the junior age. In 1979 he came although at the Junior World Championship ( espoir ) in Ulaanbaatar flyweight weight class in which he struggled throughout his career, only to 5th place in 1980 but was in Bursa European junior flyweight champion before Aslan Seyhanlı from Turkey and Ali Neander Gulachmedow from the Soviet Union.

In the senior Valentin Yordanov started for the first time in 1981 at an international championship. But at the European Championships in Łódź he lost to Hartmut Reich of the German Democratic Republic and came to 3rd place. In 1982 he won in Varna for the first time the European title and let it Lajos Szabo from Hungary, Osman Efendiew from Russia and Hartmut Reich behind. At the World Championships this year in Edmonton, where Hartmut Reich took the world title, but he left early and only came on the 13th Place.

1983 repeated Valentin Yordanov at the European Championships in Budapest his title. He won there before Saban Trstena from Jugoslwien and Wladyslaw Stecyk from Poland. In the same year he was in Kiev for the first time world champion. He defeated there in the final Tosio Asakura from Japan. Anatoli Beloglasow from the Soviet Union and Hartmut Reich came up with the places 3 and 4

1984 Valentin Yordanov had to settle at the European Championships in Jönköping with the second place because he was beaten there in the final of Saban Trstena by points ( 10:5 ) and in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he could because of the boycott of the Games by the former Eastern bloc countries not participating. So while he did not win any international title in 1984, he was more successful in 1985. It was in this year, first in Leipzig European champions. This victory enough for him about Aslan Seyhanlı, Hartmut Reich and Saban Trstena to this title later in the year he was in Budapest then world champion before Minatulla Daibow from the Soviet Union, Mitsuru Satō from Japan and Joe Gonzalez of the United States.

This double title win he could not repeat in 1986. Although he was in Athens before Saban Trstena and Minatulla Daibow again European Champion. But at the World Championships in Budapest, he lost against the North Koreans Kim Yong Sik and therefore finished only third place. In 1987 him but this double title win was successful, for he was in Veliko Tarnovo before Vladimir Togusow from the Soviet Union and Aslan Seyhanlı again and in Clermont- Ferrand, he defeated European Champion at the World Championship in the final Kim Yong Sik and thus retaliated successfully for the defeat of the world Cup 1986.

Followed in 1988 in Manchester the next European Championship title for Valentin Yordanov. He noted there Wladimir Togusow and Saban Trstena on the 2nd and 3rd place but Reaching for the Olympic gold medal in Seoul failed him, because he came there only the 8th Place. Olympic winner was the Japanese Mitsuru Satō before Saban Trstena and Vladimir Togusow. 1989 Valentin Yordanov returned to winning ways. The result was winning the European Champion title in Ankara against Mikhail Kushnir from the Soviet Union, which he relatively narrowly defeated in the final battle with 5:3 points and Aslan Seyhanlı and winning the world title in Martigny before Vladimir Togusow and Majid Torkan from Iran. In the final he outclassed here Togusow 7-1 points.

As of 1990, where he lived in the United States as of the year, Vladimir Yordanov started then at no more European. At the World Championships and Olympic Games, but he was in the next few years at the start. 1990 and 1991, however, he had to content himself each time with the vice-champion title. In 1990, he was beaten in the finals in Tokyo by Majid Torkan convincingly on points ( 2:8 ) and also at the 1991 World Championships in Varna, he lost the final battle and indeed against Zeke Jones (Larry Jones) from the United States, with 6 against Yordanov: 3 points won.

At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, he finally won an Olympic medal then. However, not the longed golden, but "only" the bronze. Reason was his defeat in the semi-final against Li Hak- Son from North Korea.

After this defeat, Valentin Yordanov then entered the last four years of his career, a unique triumphal march. He lost at the World Championships in Toronto in 1993, 1994 and 1995 in Istanbul in Atlanta and at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta no longer fight. The result was the profit of another three world titles and the grand finale at the age of 36 years, the Olympic victory. His main rivals were in those years Gholamreza Mohammadi from Iran, which he defeated in the World Cup finals of 1993 and 1995 and Namig Abdullayev from Azerbaijan, he in the World Cup final in 1994 and in the Olympic final in Atlanta (just 4-3 points ) defeated.

For his successes was inducted into the "Hall of Fame" FILA Valentin Yordanov from the World Wrestling Federation FILA in 2003.

International success

Notes

All competitions in free style
OS = The Olympic Games, WM = World Championships, European Championships EM =
Flyweight weight class up to 52 kg body weight

Swell

Journal The Ringer
Database of the Institute for Applied Training Science at the University of Leipzig

797673