Ali Mollow

Ali Mollow (born December 31, 1970 in Troyan , Prov. Lovech , Bulgaria ) is a Bulgarian wrestler . He is a multiple medalist at world and European championships.

Career

Ali Mollow, who is of Turkish descent, started wrestling at the age of 12 in 1982. He concentrated on the Greco-Roman style. After initial success, he became a member of the Slavia-Litex Sofia wrestling club . In the Bulgarian national team he was coached by Bratan Zenow. While still active, he began studying at the National Sports Academy in Sofia, which he completed with a coaching diploma.

In a way, he is a late starter, because he did not contest his first international championship until the age of 23. But he was immediately successful, because he was runner-up in Istanbul in 1993 in the light heavyweight division behind the Swede Jörgen Olsson , but before Hakki Basar from Turkey and Sergei Lishtwan from Belarus. In the following years he competed regularly in world and European championships, but was initially unable to build on this success. The best results he had between 1994 and 1998 were two fifth places. He occupied this place z. B. at the European Championship 1997 in Kouvola / Finland and at the World Championship 1998 in Gävle / Sweden. In those years he mostly failed because of the then outstanding wrestlers Gogi Koguaschwili , Russia, Maik Bullmann , Germany and Vyacheslav Oleinik , Ukraine.

In 1999 he was again vice European light heavyweight champion in Sofia. He defeated u. a. Mindaugas Ezerskis , Latvia, Hakki Basar and Dawid Saldadze , Ukraine and failed only in the final against Mikael Ljungberg from Sweden. In 2000 he qualified to participate in the Sydney Olympic Games. There he lost against Petru Sudureac from Romania and against Mikael Ljungberg and only finished 19th. In 2001 he was in Istanbul behind the Russian Alexander Besrutschkin for the third time vice European champion, where he referred Petru Sudureac and Roman Meduna from Slovakia to the next places.

In 2002 Ali Mollow just missed a medal at the European Championships in Seinäjoki / Finland with a 4th place. At this championship he defeated such excellent wrestlers as Martin Lidberg from Sweden and Georgios Koutsioubas from Greece. At the World Championships that year in Moscow, he then won a bronze medal . That was the last medal he won in an international championship. On the way to this success he defeated Garrett Lowney , USA, Alexander Besrutschkin and Mirko Englich , Germany, lost to Karam Mohammed Ibrahim Gaber , Egypt and defeated Ernesto Peña Williams from Cuba.

In 2004 at an Olympic qualification tournament in Novi Sad for Bulgaria with a 4th place he still won a lot of points for a Bulgarian starting place at the Olympic Games in Athens. In Athens, however, not he, but Kaloyan Dinchew was installed. That was his last international competition.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
1993	2.	EM in Istanbul	Semi-difficult	behind Jörgen Olsson, Sweden, in front of Hakki Basar, Turkey and Sergei Lishtwan, Belarus
1994	10.	EM in Athens	Semi-difficult	Winner: Vyacheslav Oleinik, Ukraine ahead of Sergei Kirilchuk, Belarus
1994	9.	World Cup in Tampere	Semi-difficult	Winner: Gogi Koguaschwili, Russia, ahead of Vyacheslav Oleinik and Maik Bullmann, Germany
1995	11.	EM in Besançon	Semi-difficult	Winner: Gogii Koguaschwili ahead of Maik Bullmann and Vyacheslav Oleinik
1995	9.	World Cup in Prague	Semi-difficult	Winner: Hakki Basar ahead of Petru Sudureac, Romania and Gogi Koguaschwili
1996	6th	EM in Budapest	Semi-difficult	behind Georgi Koguaschwili, Maik Bullmann and Vyacheslav Oleinik
1997	5.	EM in Kouvola / Finland	Semi-difficult	after victories over Josip Pavisic, Croatia and Konstantinos Thanos, Greece, defeats against Anatoli Fedorenko , Belarus and Petru Sudureac and victory over Bakuri Gogitidze, Georgia
1997	16.	World Cup in Wrocław	Semi-difficult	after a victory over Randy Couture , USA and defeat against Igor Grabowezki, Moldova and Pajo Ivosevic, Yugoslavia
1998	3.	Intern. Tournament in Nikea	Semi-difficult	behind Sergei Lischtwan and Maik Bullmann
1998	11.	EM in Minsk	Semi-difficult	after defeating Josip Pavisic and defeats against Sergei Lishtvan and Zaza Silagadze, Georgia
1998	5.	World Cup in Gävle / Sweden	Semi-difficult	after victories over Colbie Bell, Canada, Janos Toth, Hungary and Maik Bullmann and defeats against Gogi Koguaschwili and Petru Sudureac
1999	1.	"Dave Schultz" Memorial in Colorado Springs	Semi-difficult	before Dave Surofchek and Daniel Hicks, both USA
1999	2.	EM in Sofia	Semi-difficult	after victories over Pajo Ivosevic, Mindaugas Ezerskis, Hakki Basar and Dawid Saldadze, Ukraine and a defeat against Mikaiel Ljungberg, Sweden
1999	30th	World Cup in Athens	Semi-difficult	after defeats against Georgi Koguaschwili and Choren Papojan, Armenia
2000	4th	Olympic qualification tournament in Faenza	Semi-difficult	behind Sergei Lishtwan, Mindaugas Ezerskis and Petru Sudureac
2000	19th	OS in Sydney	Semi-difficult	after losing to Petru Sudureac and Mikael Ljungberg
2001	2.	EM in Istanbul	Semi-difficult	behind Alexander Besrutschkin, Russia, in front of Petru Sudureac and Roman Meduna, Slovakia
2001	11.	World Cup in Patras	Semi-difficult	after victories over Satish Kumar, India and Bela Kalo, Hungary and a loss to Ernesto Pena Williams
2002	2.	Nikola Petrow Memorial in Pleven	Semi-difficult	behind Cedric Theval, France, in front of Tiha Citar, Turkey
2002	4th	EM in Seinäjoki / Finland	Semi-difficult	after victories over Cedric Theval, Martin Lidberg, Sweden and, Georgios Koutsioubas, Greece and defeats against Gogi Koguaschwili and Dawid Saldadze
2002	3.	World Cup in Moscow	Semi-difficult	after victories over Garrett Lowney, USA, Alexander Besrutschkin and Mirko Englich, Germany, a defeat against Karam Mohammed Ibrahim Gaber, Egypt and a win over Ernesto Pena Williams
2003	2.	"Dave Schultz" Memorial in Colorado Springs	Semi-difficult	behind Karam Mohammed Ibrahim Gabe, in front of Jimmy Lidberg , Sweden and Raoul Christopher Johnson, USA
2003	14th	EM in Belgrade	Semi-difficult	after losing to Ramas Nosadze , Georgia and defeating Henri Papiashvili, Israel
2003	29	World Cup in Créteil	Semi-difficult	after a win over Kenzo Kato, Japan and a loss to Karam Mohammed Ibrahim Gaber
2004	4th	Olympic qualification tournament in Novi Sad	Semi-difficult	behind Ernesto Pena Williams, Mindaugas Ezerskis and Mehmet Özal , Turkey

Explanations

• all competitions in Greco-Roman style
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championships, EM = European Championships
• Lightweight, up to 1996 up to 90 kg, from 1997 to 2001 up to 97 kg and since 2002 up to 96 kg body weight

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer
• Foeldeak Wrestling Database website
• Website of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation

Web links

• Ali Mollow in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )