Taras Danko

Taras Hryhorowytsch Danko ( Ukrainian Тарас Григорович Данько ; born July 3, 1980 in Kiev ) is a Ukrainian wrestler . He won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games and was the 2005 European Middleweight Champion in free style.

Career

Taras Danko started wrestling as a teenager. His coach is his father Grigori Danko. He is a member of the Dinamo Kiev sports club and wrestles exclusively in free style. The sports student has been wrestling at international championships since 1996. This year he started at the Junior European Championship (Cadets, age group up to the age of 16) in Tehran in the weight class up to 83 kg body weight. During his entire career so far, he has always competed in the middleweight division, which has the weight limit of 84 kg for the seniors. That meant that he would have to shed many pounds for every competition. In Tehran, he immediately won his first medal, because he finished 3rd there.

He also won medals at international junior championships in 1998, where he was vice- world champion in Istanbul behind Aleksei Krupnjakow from Kyrgyzstan , 1999 in Riga , here he was vice- European champion behind Oleg Katlagow from Russia , in 1999 at the junior world championship in Sydney , where he left Vadim Lalijew from Russia, with which it should also provide for the seniors still hot duels, in turn, vice-world champion and finally in 2000 in Nantes , where he at the Junior world Championship behind Saschid Saschidow from Russia and Shahab Ghorbani from the Iran finished 3rd.

In the senior category, Taras Danko did his first appearance at an international championship in 2003. At the European Championships in Riga he came in 6th place after two wins because of a defeat in his third fight against Vadim Lalijew. He also missed a medal at the Olympic Games in Athens , where, after victories against Mahomed Agajew from Armenia and Gökhan Yavaşer from Turkey, he again lost in his third fight against Moon Eui-jae from South Korea and came in 7th place.

In 2005 he landed his greatest success of his career to date at the European Championships in Varna , because he became European middleweight champion with four wins . In the semifinals he defeated Rewas Mindorashvili from Georgia and in the final Serhat Balcı each on points. At the world championship of the same year in Budapest he lost in the semifinals against Yoel Romero from Cuba , but defeated Radoslaw Horbik from Poland in the final battle for the bronze medal .

In 2006 he also won a bronze medal at the European Championships in Moscow , which he won with a point victory over David Bichinashvili from Germany . In the semifinals he had previously lost to Adam Saitijew from Russia. At the 2006 World Cup in Guangzhou / China he lost again in the semifinals. Saschid Saschidow from Russia defeated him on points. Taras Danko then also lost the battle for the bronze medal, in which he had to bow to Reza Yazdani from Iran .

In 2007 he only competed at the European Championships in Sofia. With four wins he fought his way to the final, in which he lost to Georgi Ketojew from Russia on points. This made him vice European champion.

In 2008 Taras Danko came at the European Championships in Tampere after a defeat in the 1st round against Vadim Lalijew only on the 14th place, because Laliew did not reach the final fight. The resulting lack of qualification for the Olympic Games in Beijing , Taras Danko then tried to fight for a tournament in Martigny / Switzerland . This plan failed, however, because he only achieved 11th place there, which was not enough for qualification. But he managed this qualification at the last qualifying tournament taking place in Warsaw , where he won ahead of Gennadi Lalijew from Kazakhstan and Radoslaw Horbik.

In Beijing, Taras Danko won over Jorlys Ariel Mosquera from Colombia , then lost to Jussup Abdussalomow from Tajikistan . Since this reached the final, he was able to continue fighting in the consolation round and won an Olympic bronze medal there with victories over Sandeep Kumar from India and Serhat Balcı .

International success

year	space	competition	Weight class
1996	3.	Junior World Championships (Cadets) in Tehran	up to 83 kg body weight	behind Alan Makajew, Russia and Hussain M. Habib, Iraq
1997	10.	Junior European Championship (Cadets) in Istanbul	up to 83 kg body weight	Winner: Taskin Özkale, Turkey ahead of Tamazi Gegeschidze, Georgia
1997	4th	Junior World Championships (Cadets) in Helsinki	up to 83 kg body weight	behind Feridon Ghanbaripisar, Iran , Yoel Romero , Cuba and Taskin Özkale
1998	2.	Junior European Championship (Juniors) in Istanbul	up to 83 kg body weight	behind Aleksei Krupnjakow , Kyrgyzstan, before Tamazi Gegeschidze, Georgia
1998	4th	Junior World Championships (Juniors) in Las Vegas	up to 83 kg body weight	behind Saschid Saschidow , Russia, Mark Anthony Munoz Kenetry, USA and Masoud Dehestani Klager, Iran
1999	2.	Junior European Championship in Riga	medium	behind Oleg Katlagow, Russia, in front of Arkadij Zopa , Bulgaria , Zwiad Bidschischwili, Georgia and Taskin Özkale
1999	2.	Junior World Championships in Sydney	medium	with a victory over Tamasz Janiszewski, Poland , a defeat against Wadim Laliew , Russia, victories over Damir Temirbajew, Kazakhstan and Damion Hahn , USA and another defeat against Wadim Laliew
2000	5.	World Cup in Fairfax	medium	behind Yoel Romero, Leslie Gutches , USA, Mahdi Saradjilov, Iran and Saschid Saschidow
2000	3.	Junior World Championships in Nantes	medium	behind Saschid Saschidow and Shahab Ghorbani, Iran, ahead of Zarko Kocev, Yugoslavia and Arkadij Zopa
2003	6th	EM in Riga	medium	with victories over Marcin Jurecki, Poland and Tero Perkkiö, Finland and one defeat against Wadim Laliew
2004	7th	OS in Athens	medium	with victories over Mahmed Agajew, Armenia and Gökhan Yavaşer , Turkey and one defeat against Moon Eui-jae , South Korea
2005	1.	International tournament in Kiev	medium	before Alik Musajew, Ukraine , Ermek Gaidasaschew and Soslan Gaisiew, both Russia
2005	1.	Ziolkowski tournament in Siedlce / Poland	medium	before Naurus Temresow and Magomed Kurugliew , both Russia and Saeed Ebrahimi, Iran
2005	1.	EM in Varna	medium	with victories over Jari Erkki Olmala, Finland, Lazaros Loizidis , Greece , Rewas Mindoraschwili , Georgia and Serhat Balcı , Turkey
2005	3.	World Cup in Budapest	medium	with victories over Lee Du-Soo, South Korea, Serhat Balcı and Thomas Bucheli , Switzerland , a defeat against Yoel Romero and a victory over Radoslaw Horbik , Poland
2006	3.	EM in Moscow	medium	with victories over Lazaros Loizidis, Piotr Janulow, Moldova and Imants Lagodskis, Latvia , a defeat against Adam Saitijew , Russia and a victory over David Bichinashvili , Germany
2006	2.	Golden Grand Prix in Baku	medium	behind Reza Yazgadi , Iran and in front of Muhammad Lawal , USA and Naurus Temresow
2006	5.	World Cup in Guangzhou / China	medium	with victories over Sayed Naeinian, Australia , Samatbek Tolubajew, Kyrgyzstan and Serhat Balcı and defeats against Saschid Saschidow and Reza Yazgadi
2007	3.	"Ivan Yarigin" tournament in Krasnoyarsk	medium	behind Georgi Ketojew and Anzo Baltukajew, both Russia and Andy Hrovat , USA
2007	1.	International tournament in Kiev	medium	before Andy Hrovat, Chirman Termezow, and Ludvig Alborow, both Russia
2007	2.	EM in Sofia	medium	with victories over Felix Polianidis , Cyprus , Thomas Bücheli, Switzerland, Leri Ketischwili , Georgia and Serhat Balcı and one defeat against Georgi Ketojew, Russia
2008	2.	International tournament in Kiev	medium	behind Soslan Kzojew , Russia, in front of Rewas Mindoraschwili , Georgia and Ludvig Alborow
2008	14th	EM in Tampere	medium	after losing to Vadim Laliev , Kazakhstan
2008	11.	Olympic qualification tournament in Martigny / Switzerland	medium	Winner: Naurus Temresow ahead of Tschagnaadordschiin Gandsorig , Mongolia
2008	1.	Olympic qualification tournament in Warsaw	medium	before Gennadi Laliew , Kazakhstan and Radoslaw Horbik
2008	bronze	OS in Beijing	medium	with a victory over Jorlys Ariel Mosquero, Colombia , a defeat against Jussup Abdussalomow , Tajikistan and victories over Sandeep Kumar, India and Serhat Balcı

Note: all competitions in free style, OS = Olympic Games, WM = World Championship, EM = European Championship, middleweight, up to 2001 up to 85 kg, from 2002 up to 84 kg body weight (body weight)

swell

• Database of the Institute for Applied Training Sciences at the University of Leipzig,
• Trade journal Der Ringer,
• US, Iran and Russian Wrestling Associations websites

Web links

• Profile of Taras Danko at the Institute for Applied Training Science
• Taras Danko in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )