Sergei Alexandrovich Martynov

Sergei Alexandrowitsch Martynow ( Russian Сергей Александрович Мартынов ; born April 30, 1971 , according to another source March 20, 1971, † 1997 ) was a wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union , for the CIS and for Russia . He was four times world champion, three times European champion and won a silver medal in the Greco-Roman style featherweight at the 1992 Olympics .

Career

Sergei Martynov, a Russian by descent, began wrestling as a teenager in 1981. He concentrated on the Greco-Roman style. As a member of the Soviet or Russian armed forces, he was a member of the army sports club CSKA Moscow . His trainer was W. Kanterman. The political realities in the years in which he was active meant that he started for the Soviet Union until 1991, for the Commonwealth of Independent States in 1992 and from 1993 for Russia. At a height of 1.66 meters, he always competed in featherweight, the weight class that reached up to 62 kg at the time. Sergei Martiynov died in 1997, the causes of his death being unknown.

He appeared on the international wrestling mat for the first time in 1989. He was in Witten in the weight class up to 63 kg junior European champion. In 1991 he beat Gennady Atmakin, the previous title holder , at the Soviet championship and was therefore sent to Varna for the world championship that year. There he managed the feat of becoming world featherweight champion straight away ahead of Mehmet Akif Pirim , Turkey, Juan Luis Maren Delis , Cuba, and Huk Byung-ho , South Korea.

In 1992 he was also European champion in Copenhagen, relegating Hugo Dietsche , Switzerland, Jenő Bódi , Hungary, and Alexander Davidovich , Israel, to the places. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona he lived up to his role as a favorite and defeated Alexander Davidovich, Mario Büttner , Germany, Włodzimierz Zawadzki , Poland, Hugo Dietsche and Antony Lee, United States , one after the other . He was facing Mehmet Akif Pirim in the fight for Olympic victory, who surprisingly clearly got the upper hand in this fight with 13: 2 points. For Sergei Martynov only the silver medal remained.

1993 turned out to be an extremely successful year for Sergei Martynov. In April of this year he became European champion again in Istanbul, where he took "terrible" revenge against Akif Mehmet Pirim in the lion's den, and clearly defeated Akif Mehmet Pirim in a preliminary round match with 9: 0 points. In Istanbul he won ahead of Jenö Bodi, Georgi Sakawez, Belarus, and Mchitar Manukjan , Kazakhstan. He was also successful at the 1993 World Championships in Stockholm, ahead of Ender Memet , Romania, Juan Luis Maren Delis and Hu Guohong, China. In the final battle he defeated Ender Memet with 6: 1 points.

At the European Championships in 1994, Sergei Martynow met in his second fight on the German ex-world champion in the bantamweight , Rıfat Yıldız , and was shouldered by this. He was eliminated and only came in 17th place. Rifat Yildiz was later unable to continue because of an injury, so that ultimately Grigori Kamuschenko from Ukraine became European champion. At the World Championships this year in Tampere, Sergei Martynow convinced again and became world champion for the third time in a row. He relegated Iwan Radew , Bulgaria, Wlodzimierz Zawadzki and David S. Zuniga , United States, to their places.

At the 1995 European Championships in Besançon, he faced Wlodzimierz Zawadzki in the final, who had become his toughest opponent. At the end of the fight it was 2: 2 and the judges decided on Zawadzki, who became European champion, while Sergei Martiynow took 2nd place. He then returned the favor at the 1995 World Cup in Prague and became world champion for the fourth time with victories over Robert Mazouch, Czech Republic, Bachodir Kurbanow, Uzbekistan, Mchitar Manukjan, Cho Sang-sun, South Korea, and Wlodzimierz Zawadzki.

In the 1996 Olympic year, Sergei Martynow became European champion for the third time in Budapest with victories over Matyas Magyes, Hungary, Usama Azis, Sweden, Mehmet Akif Pirim, Aristidis Rubinian, Greece, and Grigori Kamuschenko. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, however, he was unable to live up to his role as favorite again. He lost there to Juan Luis Maren Delis, won over David S. Zuniga, then lost to Koba Guliaschwili from Georgia and did not fight for the 7th place against Mchitar Manukjan. He finished 8th.

The 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta were his last international competition before his untimely death in 1997. He was a big player in his sport.

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class	Results
1989	1.	Junior European Championship in Witten	up to 63 kg	before Alexander Sandow, Bulgaria, and Thomas Pfeiffer, Germany
1990	2.	Mälar Cup	feather	behind Huk Byung-ho, South Korea, in front of Min Bjung-jun, South Korea
1991	1.	World Cup in Varna	feather	in front of Mehmet Akif Pirim, Turkey, Juan Luis Maren Delis, Cuba, and Huk Byung-ho, South Korea
1992	1.	EM in Copenhagen	feather	before Hugo Dietsche, Switzerland, Jenö Bodi, Hungary, and Alexander Davidovich, Israel
1992	silver	OS in Barcelona	feather	after victories over Alexander Davidovich, Mario Büttner, Germany, Wlodzimierz Zawadzki, Poland, Hugo Dietsche and Anthony Lee, USA, and a defeat against Mehmet Akif Pirim
1992	2.	World Cup in Besançon	feather	behind Juan Luis Maren Delin, in front of Shawn Lewis, USA, and Philippe Benjoudi, France
1993	2.	Intern. USA championship in Concord	feather	behind Juan Luis Maren Delis, Cuba, in front of Buddy Lee, USA, and Thierry Bastien, France
1993	1.	EM in Istanbul	feather	before Jenö Bodi, Hungary, Georgi Saskawez, Belarus, and Mchitar Manukjan, Kazakhstan
1993	1.	German Grand Prix in Koblenz	feather	in front of Wlodzimierz Zawadzki, Jenö Bodi and Peter Behl , Germany
1993	1.	World Cup in Stockholm	feather	before Ender Memet, Romania, Juan Luis Maren Delis and Hu Guohong, China
1994	17th	EM in Athens	feather	after losing shoulders to Rifat Yildiz, Germany
1994	1.	World Cup in Tampere	feather	before Iwan Radew, Bulgaria, Wlodzimierz Zawadzki and David S. Zuniga, USA
1995	2.	EM in Besançon	feather	behind Wlodzimierz Zawadzki, in front of Igor Petrenko, Belarus, and Ivan Radew
1995	1.	World Cup in Prague	feather	after victories over Tobert Mazouch, Czech Republic, Bachodir Kurbanow, Uzbekistan, Mchitar Manukjan, Choi Sang-sun, South Korea, and Wlodzimierz Zawadzki
1996	1.	EM in Budapest	feather	after victories over Matyas Megyes, Hungary, Usama Aziz, Sweden, Mehmet Akif Pirim, Aristidis Rubinian, Greece, and Grigori Kamuschenko, Ukraine
1996	8th.	OS in Atlanta	feather	after defeat against Juan Luis Maren Delis, victory over David S. Zuniga and defeat against Koba Guliaschwili, Georgia, and Mchitar Manukjan (without a fight)

Explanations

• all competitions in Greco-Roman style
• OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship
• Feather weight, weight class up to 62 kg body weight

swell

• Trade journal Der Ringer
• Foeldeak Wrestling Database website

Web links

• Sergei Alexandrowitsch Martynow in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
• Fight of Sergei Martynow (red) against Jenö Bodi at the 1993 European Championships
• Fight of Sergei Martynow (red) against Rifat Yildiz at the European Championships in 1994