Momir Petković

Momir Petković ( born July 21, 1953 in Subotica ) is a former Yugoslav wrestler.

Career

Momir Petković began as a seven year old boy in 1960 in Subotica with the rings. In the Yugoslav top club " Spartak " Subotica he found good coaches who quickly brought him to the front. Already in the youth and junior level, he scored at international level good results. He wrestled exclusively in the Greco- Roman style. His debut on the international wrestling mat he gave at the European Youth Championships in 1970 in the Swedish Huskvarna. There he took an excellent second place in class up to 75 kg body weight. In the Junior European Championships in 1972, he started in the light heavyweight and again reached an outstanding 2nd place. In 1972 he also won his first title at the Yugoslav Veterans Championships. He was only 19 years old.

In 1973, he was employed by the Association at the European Championships in Helsinki at middleweight. He won three fights before he lost against Miroslav Janota from Czechoslovakia and Dimitar Ivanov from Bulgaria and landed on the 5th Place. In the years 1974 and 1975 it was used only at the European Championships in Madrid and Ludwigshafen. He could not say there but in front of the field. At the World Championships in 1973, 1974 and 1975 Milan Nenadić it was preferred.

In 1976, Petković was not initially used at the European Championships in Leningrad. The more sensational designed but then his performance at the Olympics of the same year in Montreal. There Momir Petković won with six superior wins the gold medal in the middleweight division. In the finals Ivan Kolev of Bulgaria and Vladimir Tscheboksarow from the Soviet Union had no chance against him.

In the years 1977, 1978 and 1979 Petković just launched at the World Championships, respectively. In Gothenburg, Mexico City and San Diego, he ended up taking third place and was twice runner-up. Every time the soup of the Romania Ion Draica he was doing too salty, who defeated him at any of these events.

In 1980, Petković was neither at the European Championships yet at the Olympic Games in Moscow at the start.

In 1981, he was there again and won the runner-up title again. In Oslo, he won his case last medal at an international championship. In the final battle he was defeated by Soviet athletes Gennady Korban.

At the European Championships 1982 in Varna and the World Cup 1982 in Katowice, he had to make do each with the thankless fourth place and at the European Championships in Budapest in 1983, he landed only on the 6th Place. Nevertheless Petković wanted to win at the end of his career at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles once again a medal. He missed this with a 4th place but just as he was defeated by Sweden Sören Claesson in the fight for the bronze medal with 5-2 points.

Momir Petković emigrated in 1986 with his family from Yugoslavia to the United States. He was first to coach in the 1992 New York Athletic Club and then served as assistant coach and as head coach of the U.S. national team wrestler in the Greco- Roman style. There he played a key role at the Olympic victory in 2000 by Rulon Gardner and his spectacular victory over Alexander Karelin from Russia and the medal winning Matt Lindland and Brandon Paulson.

The results of international championships and several other tournaments in which Momir Petkovic took part are to be seen in the following section.

Achievements

Internationally

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, European Championship EM =, GR = Greek and Roman. Styles, Mi = middleweight, Hs = light heavyweight, then to 82 kg or 90 kg body weight)

Yugoslav Championships

Momir Petković won the Yugoslav championship in 1972, 1974, 1975 and 1976 in the Graeco-Roman. Style at middleweight.