Christo Markow

Christo Markow (born January 27, 1965 in Borowo , Bulgaria ) is a former Bulgarian triple jumper . With a height of 1.85 m, his competition weight was 76 kg.

Career until 1988

At the European Indoor Championships in 1983 Christo Markow reached his first final participation in the adult class. With 16.06 m he finished 7th. In summer Markow became Junior European Champion. A year later he was at the European Indoor Championships with 16.89 m fifth.

In 1985 he won the World Indoor Athletics Games in Paris with 17.22 m and was thus (unofficial) world indoor champion. Six weeks later he won his first official title at the European Indoor Championships with 17.29 meters.

On August 30, 1986 he won the European Championships in Stuttgart with 17.66 m and 33 centimeters ahead of Māris Bružiks from the Soviet Union.

1987 began for Christo Markow with a defeat at the European Indoor Championships. With 17.12 m he was three centimeters behind the Frenchman Serge Hélan . Two weeks later Markow was fourth with 16.96 m at the indoor world championships in Indianapolis . The American Mike Conley Sr. won with 17.54 m. In the final of the World Championships in Rome on August 31, Conley even jumped 17.67 m, but Markow set a European record with 17.92 m in the fifth attempt and won safely.

The Olympic year 1988 began for Markow with a fourth place and 17.19 m at the European Indoor Championships. At the Olympic Games in Seoul , three triple jumpers from the Soviet Union jumped further than Markov in qualifying: Alexandr Kowalenko , Igor Lapschin and Oleg Prozenko . The final on September 24th therefore promised great excitement. With his first jump of 17.61 m, Markow took the tension out of the competition. Lapschin reached 17.52 m with his last jump and won silver from Kowalenko and Prozenko.

At the age of 23, Christo Markow had won all the big titles and became the most successful Bulgarian athlete of all time.

After 1988

At the European Championships in Split in 1990 Christo Markow jumped 17.43 m to silver behind Leonid Voloshin from the Soviet Union, who came to 17.74 m. At the World Championships in Tokyo in 1991 and at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona , Markow failed to qualify.

After his career, Christo Markow started his coaching career.

literature

• Ekkehard zur Megede: The Modern Olympic Century 1896–1996 Track and Field Athletics , Berlin 1999, published by the German Society for Athletics Documentation eV