Ivan Jankov

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Iwan Jankow , Bulgarian Иван Янков , (born June 7, 1957 in Oreschak , Varna Oblast ) is a former Bulgarian wrestler . He was a silver medalist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and three-time European free style champion.

Career

Ivan Jankow began wrestling with "Spartak" Varna as a teenager . He developed into an excellent freestyle wrestler. In Bulgaria, however, Ivan initially had to overcome tough competition before he came to his first appearance in an international championship in 1973, now starting for Slavia Sofia . At the European Championships in Lausanne , however, he had a brilliant debut, as he became European featherweight champion with four wins. In the tactical battles against the 1972 Olympic champion Zagalav Abdulbekow from the Soviet Union and against Petre Coman from Romania , Jankow and his opponents were taken off the mat for passivity. This was enough for him to win the European Championship before Zagalav Abdulbekow, while Petre Coman went empty-handed.

After Jankow disappointed at the 1973 World Cup in Tehran with an 8th place, he had to give way to Doucho Zekow in 1974 at the international championships . It was not used again until the 1975 European Championship in Ludwigshafen am Rhein and promptly won his second European title. He also succeeded for the first time in a victory over Zagalav Abdulbekow.

Jankow was also on course for the title at the 1976 European Championships in Leningrad , as he had already defeated his main rival Sergei Timofejew from the Soviet Union before surprisingly losing to Petre Coman and falling back to 3rd place. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal Jankow lost to Dsewegiin Oidow , the double world champion from Mongolia , and was put off the mat together with the Japanese Kenkichi Maekwa for passivity, which meant he only came in 5th place.

In 1977 Jankow switched to lightweight, but made the leap to the top of the world in this weight class only in 1978 when he won his third European title at the European Championships in Sofia and also defeated the Soviet athlete Ihaki Gaidarbekow .

Jankow also won medals at the European Championships in 1979 in Bucharest with 2nd place, 1980 in Prievidza with 2nd place and 1982 in Varna with 3rd place. The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow were to be the climax for Jankow . He had once again prepared intensively for the Olympic tournament, won five fights, but narrowly failed against the Soviet wrestler Seydullah Absaidow and could therefore "only" be awarded the silver medal.

International success

(OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, F = free style, Fe = featherweight, Le = lightweight, then up to 62 kg and 68 kg body weight)

swell

  • various issues of the specialist magazines "Athletik" from 1972 to 1975 and "Der Ringer" from 1976 to 1982,
  • International Wrestling Database of the University of Leipzig

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Jankow, Ivan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Янков, Иван (Bulgarian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bulgarian wrestler
DATE OF BIRTH June 7, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Oreshak , Varna Oblast