Petko Sirakov

Petko Athanasow Sirakow ( Bulgarian Петко Сираков; born February 16, 1929 in Waltschidol, Oblast Varna ) is a former Bulgarian wrestler. He was world champion in 1957 in free style and winner of the silver medal in Greco-Roman. Style at the 1956 Olympic Games, each in the light heavyweight division.

Career

Petko Sirakow began in the late 1940s with the rings. As early as 1950 he was one of the best Bulgarian wrestlers. The Bulgarian wrestler sport was in those years in the construction phase. Petko was Sirakow sports student and member of Akademisk Sofia. Early as 1951, he stepped on the international wrestling mat in appearance, when he defeated the Czechs Zabransky to countries fighting against Herbert Albrecht from the GDR but lost.

The Bulgarian Wrestling Federation wrestlers involved in the international championships only since 1955. During the World Championship 1955 in Karlsruhe but Petko Sirakow was not there. He completed his debut at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. Here, like him managed a brilliant start to his international career, as he won in the Greco- Roman style light heavyweight silver medal. On the way, he defeated among others Adil Atan from Turkey and the Olympic champion from 1948 Karl -Erik Nilsson from Sweden. In the battle for the gold medal he lost to the Soviet wrestler Valentin Nikolayev.

Petko Sirakow was one of the few wrestlers who have competed in two ring styles. Therefore, he was also in 1957 at the World Championships in Istanbul in free style at the start. In Istanbul, he celebrated the biggest success of his career. However, he had this much luck with the draw, because he won at the World Cup just a struggle. Against Ismet Atli from Turkey Against Boris Kulayev from the Soviet Union and György Gurics from Hungary he wrestled draw. In the third and in the fifth round, he had a bye, ie He did not wrestle in these rounds and could therefore collect no incorrect points. His rivals had no such luck and collected plenty of incorrect points. After the 5th round was therefore only Petko Sirakow in the competition and thus world champion.

At the World Championships 1858 in Budapest un Greco-Roman. Style he missed with the 4th place in the light heavyweight division just a medal. This was mainly due a draw against Rostom Abashidze from the USSR and defeats against György Gurics and Rune Jansson from Sweden.

One last time Petko Sirakow was at a World Cup in 1959 in Tehran at the start. In free style he was doing vice-champion in the light heavyweight division. He lost it in the final battle against the Iranians Gholamreza Takhti.

Surprisingly, Petko Athanasow Sirakow was no longer at the start of the Olympic Games in Rome in 1960. He had finished his international career Ringer end of 1959. He was then many years as head coach of the Bulgarian national team wrestler and responsible for countless great achievements of the Bulgarian wrestler in those years.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, GR = Greek and Roman. Style, F = free style, Hs = light heavyweight, then to 87 kg body weight)

Swell

  • Journal athletics from 1951 to 1959;
  • Documentation of International Wrestling Championships FILA, 1976
  • Website " www.iat.uni -leipzig.de "
  • Website of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee
East Germany Karl-Erik Nilsson (wrestler) Adelmo Bulgarelli Italy Greece France
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