Branislav Martinović
Branislav " Branko " Martinovic ( born November 29, 1937 in Belgrade ) is a former Yugoslav wrestler. He was winner of two Olympic medals at the 1960 Olympic Games and in 1964 in Greco-Roman wrestling in lightweight or featherweight.
Career
Branko Martinovic, as he was called, began in his hometown of Belgrade was eleven years old in 1948 when Sport Club " Metalcu " Belgrade with the rings. He quickly developed into an outstanding wrestler in the Greco-Roman. Style and became a wrestler Club Zeleznicar where the best Yugoslav Ringer were concentrated in the Greco-Roman style, delegated to it. In 1957 he was Yugoslav champion in featherweight for the first time. Its first use in an international championship took place at the World Cup 1958 in Budapest at lightweight. Martinovic where she won two matches and lost two fights and came at a good 6th place.
At the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960 cut Martinovic, in lightweight starting, outstandingly. He won three times, struggled against the Olympic champion of 1956 the Swede Gustav Freij undecided and subject only to the experienced Soviet athletes Awtandil Koridse. The reward was the silver medal. In 1961 he reached at the World Championships in Yokohama in lightweight with three wins 3rd place. He achieved this against the Hungarian Olympic champion featherweight Imre Polyák a draw, but lost again against Awtandil Koridse.
1962 changed the international Wrestling Federation ( FILA ) is the weight classification. Martinovic, previously in the lightweight that went up to a body weight of 67 kg, started, now got in their own country in Stevan Horvat in lightweight that was now up to 70 kg, toughest competition. Horvat had previously wrestled welterweight to 73 kg of body weight, but coached from 1962 to the new lightweight limit from. Branko therefore had to continue to start in international championships can work off in the featherweight class, which went from 1962 up to a body weight of 63 kg. This required of him that weighed usually around 70 kg each time privations.
The years 1962 and 1963 were therefore not very successful for Martinovic. 1964 but he succeeded once again a great success by winning the bronze medal in the featherweight at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It is worth noting was the draw, which he reached against the Soviet world champion Roman Rurua. Draw he also wrestled against starting off for the all-German team Lothar Schneider.
In the years after Martinovic succeeded at the European Championships in Essen in 1966, once again with the 3rd place medal win in a lightweight. It was here, among others defeated by Kâzım Ayvaz from Turkey and Klaus Pohl from the GDR.
In the course of his career, he still continued to 1968, Martinovic won no medals at international championships.
After the end of his career Ringer Branko Martinovic successfully worked as a trainer in the Yugoslav Wrestling Federation.
International success
(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, GR = Greek and Roman. Styles, Fe = featherweight until 1961-62 kg 1962 63 kg body weight, Le = Lightweight until 1961-67 kg from 1962 up to 70 kg body weight)
Yugoslav Championships
Branko Martinovic 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1964 and 1965 Yugoslav champion in Greco-Roman. Style in the spring and lightweight.