Åžtefan Rusu
Ştefan Rusu ( born February 2, 1956 in Rădăuţi, Suceava County ) is a former Romanian wrestler and Olympic champion in Moscow in 1980 in Greco-Roman. Style in a lightweight.
Career
Ştefan Rusu began as a teenager in Rădăuţi with the rings. Even as a junior, he was one of the best Romanian wrestlers in Greco-Roman. Style in a lightweight. At 18, he was European Junior Champion in Greco-Roman in Haparanda. Style in the class to 62 kg body weight before Suren Nalbandian from the Soviet Union, the future of its toughest rivals and was Ivan Stajkow from Bulgaria. From 1975 Rusu began in the seniors. He won it this year at the Balkan Championships at lightweight, but then had to admit that even as a super talent like he still has to pay dearly. At the European Championships in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, he took still a decent 6th place, but at the World Championships in Minsk he retired after two defeats and only came on the 12th Place.
But a year later, his talent prevailed. It was in the spring of 1976 in Leningrad Vice-European Champion, including beaten with wins over Heinz -Helmut Wehling from Rostock and Lars -Erik Skjold from Sweden and only Shamil Chissamutdinow from the USSR and in the fall of 1976 silver medalist at the Olympic Games in Montreal. In Montreal, he won Andrzej Supron, one of his most persistent competitor in future years, and again on Wehling and Skjold. In the battle for the gold medal he lost again a Soviet athlete, Suren Nalbandian, whom he had defeated at the Junior European Championships in 1974.
1977 Rusu was in Bursa again Vice-European Champion, with Suren Nalbandian was stronger when he returned and came at the World Championships in Gothenburg the 5th Place. In Gothenburg, he lost it the first time against Heinz -Helmut Wehling.
From 1978 to 1982, followed by the most successful years of Ştefan Rusu. It was in those years Olympic champion in Moscow, world champion in 1978 in Mexico City and in 1982 in Katowice and European champion in 1978 in Oslo, 1979 in Bucharest, 1980 in Prievidza and 1981 in Gothenburg and in addition also still winning at the Universiade 1981 in Bucharest. In those years he had only in 1979 with a 7th place at the World Championships a negative slip. During these years he celebrated victories over the entire time in the lightweight wrestling world elite as Kazimierz Lipień and Andrzej Supron from Poland, Erich Klaus from Germany, Alexander Aliyev, Gennady Yermilov, Anatoly Kravchenko, Mikhail Prokudin, Alexander Kudriawzew and Suren Nalbandian from the USSR, Stajkow Ivan, Ivan Atanasov and Nikolai Dimov from Bulgaria, Lars -Erik Skjold from Sweden, Markku Yli- Isotalo and Sipilä Tapio from Finland, Károly Gaal of Hungary. Here the list sit certainly not complete.
Also from 1983 was Ştefan Rusu, who joined in 1982 in the welterweight division, yet successful, although he had to admit but often beaten stronger wrestlers. He won the 1984 Los Angeles with the bronze medal and his third Olympic medal in 1985 in Leipzig again European Champion and in Kolbotn in Norway Vice World Champion.
After the European Championships in 1986 in Athens, in a 5th place was occupied, Ştefan Rusu ended his international career. He was without doubt one of the most successful wrestler of all time in the Graeco-Roman. Style.
Ştefan Rusu, still during his active years completed a coach training, is now manager of CSM Bucovina Rădăuţi. Even his sons Cristian, Sergiu and Laurentiu devote in Romania with great success the rings.
International success
(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, European Championship EM =, GR = Greek and Roman. Style, Le = Lightweight, We = welterweight, then to 68 kg or 74 kg body weight)
Romanian Championships
Ştefan Rusu was 1975-1987 a total of twelve times Romanian champion in Greco-Roman. Style in the light welterweight or