Ivan Tsonov

Ivan Nikolov Zonow ( Bulgarian Иван Цонов Николов; born July 31, 1966 in Krasnowo region Plovdiv ) is a former Bulgarian wrestler. He won at the 1988 Olympics, a silver medal in the paper weight and in 1992 was European champion in the flyweight each in free style.

Career

Ivan Zonow, who learned the profession of electrical engineer, began as a teenager in 1977 with the rings. He concentrated on the free style. He was trained at the time of Kolo Markov. At a size of 1.60 meters, he struggled as an adult, with one exception, always flyweight weight class, which then had their weight limit at 52 kg body weight. After the political changes in Bulgaria Ivan Zonow became a member of the newly founded association Slavia Litex Sofia, where he was trained by Miho Dukow. He also completed a sports teacher training and was after the end of his active career Ringer coach of Bulgarian wrestler Association.

His international career began in Ringer at the Junior World Championship in the age group espoir ( to age 20 ) in Colorado Springs, where he defeated from the USSR flyweight in the final Vladimir Togusow and thus junior world champion. In 1986, he added this item in Lidköping also added the title of European Junior Champion. At the Junior World Championship 1987 in Burnaby / Canada, he got along not so good and had to settle there with the 5th Place.

Ivan Zonow had the misfortune of Bulgaria in his time with Valentin Yordanov had a wrestler who wrestled in the same weight class and in the same style as it was and the 1985-1996 without doubt the world's best wrestler of his weight class. Yordanov was Olympic champion and seven times world champion. Ivan Zonow had him if he wanted to continue to play a good international roles, so avoid it. This he did at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, where he became, after many torments of detraining in the paper weight class ( up to 48 kg body weight). According to the former regulations were wrestled in Seoul in each weight class into two pools. The winner of the pool then fought for the gold medal. Zonow lost in his pool against Sergei Karamtschakow from the USSR and won, among other things about Reiner pitchfork from the Federal Republic of Germany. Pitchfork then defeated Karamtschakow and helped Zonow so still for 1st place in the pool. The fight for the gold medal lost Ivan Zonow then against the Japanese Takashi Kobayashi clear on points. He thus won an Olympic silver medal.

In the following years it managed Ivan Zonow no longer work off again into the paper weight. As Valentin Yordanov lived in the United States since 1996, met the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation the scheme that Ivan Zonow should start at the European Championships and Valentin Yordanov at the Olympic Games and the World Championships. It has also been handled and Ivan Zonow came in 1990 at the European Championships in 1990 in Poznan flyweight used. He finished there behind Saban Trstena from Yugoslavia and Vladimir Togusow 3rd place.

At the European Championships in 1991 in Stuttgart Ivan Zonow lost the fight around the pool win over Stanislaus Kaczmarek from Germany and also the fight for the bronze medal against EM Bourdin Thierry from France and therefore only reached the 4th place.

1992 succeeded Ivan Zonow then the first title at an international championship. He was born in Kaposvar Europe flyweight champion before Constantin Corduneanu from Romania and Ahmet Oerel from Turkey. In 1993, he could not defend that title in Istanbul. He left there early and only came on the 10th Place. In 1994 he was at the European Championships in Rome in much better shape and was a finalist Namig Abdullayev from Azerbaijan over. He led in this fight until about 10 seconds before the end of the fight on points, but then there was still a score from, so once lost of almost certain European title at Abdullayev.

Against the same wrestler Ivan Zonow also lost at the European Championships in 1995 in Fribourg / Switzerland, this time, however, already in the semifinals. But he fought his way to a victory over Constantin Corduneanu from Romania nor the bronze medal. In 1996 he reached at the European Championships in Budapest then again the final, where he lost to Wladimir Togusow, who started for Ukraine and for the KSV Köllerbach after the collapse of the USSR with 3:5 points.

Valentin Yordanov resigned after his Olympic victory in 1996 by the rings. This paved the way for Ivan Zonow was free to continue to go again at the World Championships at the start. He was now already 30 years old but could and as of 1997, with one exception, unable to repeat the earlier form. At the European Championships 1997 in Warsaw he managed only one victory over Poland Stanislaw Surdyka while he was defeated by German Kontojew from Belarus and against Namig Abdullayev and therefore had to make do with 10th place. At the World Championships in 1997 in Krasnoyarsk, he had more success and came to victories over Tamazi Kuloschwili from Georgia, Jose Barreto Infante from Venezuela, Zeke Jones from the United States and Atscham Achilow from Uzbekistan. A defeat in the first fight against Nurdin Donbajew from Kyrgyzstan but had previously brought him already to all title chances. After another defeat in the sixth fight against Alexander Sacharjuk from Ukraine, he finally reached the 7th place.

At the European Championships 1998 in Bratislava Ivan Zonow lost after a won fight against Vasily Zeiher from Germany and against Namig Abdullayev and finished only 14th place. Not much better he fared at the World Cup 1998 in Tehran. He won there though about the strong Japanese Chikara Tanabe, but lost surprisingly against the Indians Shankar Patel Kripa and against German Kontojew, finishing in 11th place.

In 1999, then came back the success. He won at the European Championships in Minsk with wins over Thomas Röthlisberger from Switzerland, Vasily Zeiher, German Kontojew and Vitaly Railean from Moldova and one defeat in the final battle against Alexander Sacherjuk again an EM silver medal. At the World Championships this year in Ankara him victories come over German Kontojew, Eric Akin from the United States, Ludek Burian from the Czech Republic, Chikara Tanabe and Zuunbayan Tumendemberel from Mongolia, before he was slowed by Kim Woo -yong of South Korea. The fight for the world championship bronze medal in the bantamweight title he lost then clearly against Alexander Sacharjuk with 12:10 points.

At the end of his career, Ivan Zonow then joined in 2000, again at the Olympics in 12 years after his medal win of 1988. However, in Sydney, he was no single victory more. He was defeated by Leonid Tschutschunow from Russia and his nemesis Alexander Sacherjuk and only came on the 19th Place.

International success

Notes

• All competitions in free style
• OS = The Olympic Games, WM = World Championships, European Championships EM =
• Paper weight up to 1996 kg to 48 kg body weight, then abolished, Flyweight, to 1996, 52 kg of body weight from 1997 to 2002-54 kg body weight

Swell

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

Weblink

Profile of Ivan Zonow

• Bulgarian
• Ringer (Bulgaria)
• Olympian (Bulgaria)
• European Champion (wrestling )
• Born in 1966
• Man