Alexandar Kostadinov

Alexandar Stojanow Kostadinow ( Bulgarian Александър Стоянов Костадинов ; born July 28, 1988 in Kyustendil ) is a Bulgarian wrestler . In 2014 he became European Champion in the Greco-Roman style in the weight class up to 59 kg body weight.

Career

Alexandar Kostadinov started wrestling in 1998 at the age of 10. His first club was Minor Pernik . He later moved to the Slavia Litex Sofia sports club . He focused on the Greco-Roman style and wrestles with a height of 1.63 meters in the bantamweight, currently the lowest weight class of his style. Well-known trainers with whom he worked were or are Bratan Zenow and Armen Nazarjan . He is a student but makes a living by wrestling. He is also well known in German wrestling circles because he competed in the German Bundesliga for ASV Nendingen for several years . In the 2014/15 season he will wrestle for TV Eintracht 1909 Aachen-Walheim .

He made his first start at an international championship in July 2004 at the European Junior Championships (age group Cadets) in Albena / Bulgaria. He took 6th place in the weight class up to 50 kg. In 2005 he finished 2nd at the Junior European Championships (Cadets) in Tirana in the weight class up to 54 kg and thus won his first medal at an international championship. Until 2008, Alexandar Kostadinow competed in many other international championships in the junior division. The greatest successes he achieved were the victories at the Junior World Championships in Beijing in 2007 and at the Junior World Championships in 2008 in Istanbul, both in the bantamweight category .

In May 2008 he was used by the Bulgarian Wrestling Association at the Olympic qualification tournament in Rome-Ostia. He finished there in bantamweight behind Jiao Hua Feng from China and won a starting place at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In Beijing, the Bulgarian Wrestling Association did not use him, but the more experienced Wenelin Wenkow . In April 2009 he was used at the European Senior Championships in Wilnius. He won there in the bantamweight over Hammet Rustam, Turkey and Rowshan Bajramow from Azerbaijan, then lost to Mariusz Łoś from Poland and won a bronze medal in the consolation round with a victory over Jan Hocko from the Czech Republic. At the 2009 World Cup in Herning / Denmark he was not so successful, because he lost there in the first round against Bekchan Mankijew from Russia. Since this did not reach the final, he was eliminated and only came in 19th place.

In the following years he was used at some world and European championships, but had to share these starting places with Wenelin Wenkow and Iwo Angelow . In 2012 he was Bulgarian bantamweight champion and then used at the Olympic qualification tournament in Sofia. There he won the right to start at the Olympic Games in London with a 2nd place behind Håkan Nyblom from Denmark. In London he lost his first fight against the Chinese Li Shujin just by points (1: 2 rounds, 2: 4 points) and was eliminated because he did not reach the final. He placed on the 12th place.

In April 2014, Alexandar Kostadinow succeeded in winning his first international senior title at the European championships in Vantaa / Finland in the new weight class up to 59 kg. He defeated Jani Haapamäki , Finland, Karen Aslanjan, Armenia, Iwan Kujlakow , Russia, Kristijan Fris , Serbia and Victor Ciobanu , Moldova.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
2004	6th	Junior European Championship (Cadets) in Albena / Bulgaria	up to 50 kg	Winner: Akhmed Gadschimuradow, Russia
2005	2.	Junior European Championship (Cadets) in Tirana	up to 54 kg	behind Akhmed Gadschimuradow
2006	5.	Junior European Championship in Szombathely	Bantam	Winner: Saur Kuramagomedow , Russia ahead of Wugar Ragimow , Ukraine
2006	3.	Junior World Championships in Guatemala City	Bantam	behind Saur Kuramagomedow and Jassin Amiri, Iran
2007	5.	Junior European Championship in Belgrade	Bantam	behind Peter Modos , Hungary, Victor Wolfgang, Sweden, Lascha Gogitadze, Georgia and Ivan Tatarinow, Russia
2007	8th.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Sofia	Bantam	Winner: Wenelin Wenkow, Bulgaria ahead of Maxim Mordowin, Russia and Hamid Soryan Reihanpour , Iran
2007	1.	Junior World Championships in Beijing	Bantam	after victories over Upender Sen, India, Maikel Anache Lamoth, Cuba, Virgil Munteanu, Romania, Sanjarbek Schumaschew, Uzbekistan and Wang Feilong, China
2008	2.	Olympic qualification tournament in Rome-Ostia	Bantam	behind Jiao Hua Feng, China, in front of Lascha Gogitadze and Roman Amojan , Armenia
2008	3.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Sofia	Bantam	behind Wenelin Wenkow and Maxim Mordowin
2008	2.	Junior European Championship in Kosice	Bantam	behind Həsən Əliyev , Azerbaijan, in front of Iwan Tatarinow and Recep Yilmaz, Turkey
2008	1.	Junior World Championships in Istanbul	Bantam	after victories over Lenur Temirow, Ukraine, Niko Ohukainen, Finland, Nurbek Uktamow, Azerbaijan, Maikel Anache Lamoth and Arsen Eralijew, Kyrgyzstan
2009	3.	Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs	Bantam	behind Spenser Thomas Mango and Samuel Hazewinkel, both USA
2009	3.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Varna	Bantam	behind Kohei Hasegawa, Japan and Wenelin Wenkow
2009	3.	EM in Wilnius	Bantam	after victories over Hammet Rustam, Turkey and Rowschan Bajramow, Azerbaijan, a defeat against Mariusz Los, Poland and a win over Jan Hocko, Czech Republic
2009	19th	World Cup in Herning / Denmark	Bantam	after losing to Bekchan Mankiev , Russia
2010	4th	Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs	Bantam	behind Ildar Hafisow, Uzbekistan, Choi Gyu-jin, South Korea and Kohei Hasegawa
2010	1.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Burgas	Bantam	in front of Wenelin Wenkow, Taleh Mammadow, Azerbaijan and Daniar Islamow, Moldova
2010	5.	EM in Baku	Bantam	after victories over Dawid Andrzej Ersetic, Poland and Daniar Islamow and defeats against Elçin Əliyev , Azerbaijan and Wugar Ragimow
2011	6th	Dave Schultz Memorial International in Colorado Springs	Bantam	Winner: Thomas Roenningen ahead of Anders Roenningen, both Norway
2011	1.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Burgas	Bantam	before Wenelin Wenkow, Bayram Garip, Turkey and Victor Ciobanu , Moldova
2011	15th	EM in Dortmund	Bantam	after a loss to Mariusz Los
2011	10.	Wladyslaw Pytlasinski Memorial in Radom	Bantam	Winner: Arsen Eralijew ahead of Wenelin Wenkow
2012	1.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Sofia	Bantam	in front of Kamel Karabadse, Armenia, Victor Ciobanu and Mehrdad Mardani, Iran
2012	3.	EM in Belgrade	Bantam	after a victory over Federico Manea, Italy, a defeat against Peter Modos , Hungary and victories over Kristian Gazdag, Serbia, Victor Ciobanu and Mingijan Semjonow , Russia
2012	2.	Olympic qualification tournament in Sofia	Bantam	behind Håkan Nyblom, Denmark, in front of Anar Zeinalow, Estonia and Roman Amojan , Armenia
2012	12.	OS in London	Bantam	after losing to Li Shujin, China
2013	2.	Dan Kolow & Nikola Petrow Memorial in Plovdiv	Bantam	behind Victor Ciobanu, in front of Nikolai Winchew, Bulgaria and Yun Won-chol , North Korea
2013	5.	EM in Tbilisi	Bantam	after a win over David Borsos, Hungary, a loss to Elbek Tashiev, Belarus, a win over Anar Zeinalow and a loss to Bekchan Mankiev, Russia
2013	22nd	World Cup in Budapest	Bantam	after a loss to Victor Ciobanu
2014	1.	EM in Vantaa / Finland	up to 59 kg	after victories over Jani Haapamäki, Finland, Karen Aslanjan, Iwan Kujlakow, Kristijan Friis, Serbia and Victor Ciobanu

Explanations

• all competitions in Greco-Roman style
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship
• Bantam weight, weight class up to 55 kg body weight (until December 31, 2013); Since January 1, 2014, a new weight classification has been in effect by the world wrestler association FILA

literature

• Trade journal Der Ringer

Web links

• Profile of Alexandar Kostadinow at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• Website "www.bul-wrestling.org"