Yanko Rusev


Yanko Rusev is a former Olympic weightlifter for Bulgaria.
In 1993 he was elected member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame. He was named the 1981 Athlete of the Year for Bulgaria. In 2019 he was awarded the highest state award of Bulgaria in the field of sport - the Wreath of the winner.

Early life

He was born on December 1, 1958 in Ivanski, Shumen. At 15, he attempted to enter the sport school "Olympian Hopes" in Sofia, but was turned down on the grounds that he was a "hopeless" weightlifter.

Training

Rusev first began training for soccer and wrestling. Afterwards, he took an interest in weightlifting. During his education at 19, Ivan Abadzhiev noticed him, and soon Rusev was weightlifting in the world games at Stuttgart, and won a silver medal.

Weightlifting achievements