Blagoy Blagoev (Bulgarian: Благой Благоев; born 4 December 1956) is a retired Bulgarian weightlifter. Between 1976 and 1984 he claimed seven gold and five silver medals at the Summer Olympics and World and European championships.[1] He set 18 world records. 13 of them were in the snatch. His last snatch world record was 195.5 kg in the 90 kg weight class, set on 1 May 1983 in Varna and remains the heaviest weight ever snatched by a middle heavyweight. Blagoev was twice declared the Best Weightlifter in the World by the International Weightlifting Federation - in 1982 and 1983. Blagoev was named Sportsperson of the Year in Bulgaria for 1982.
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| Born | 4 December 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Weightlifting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Blagoev was a two time Olympian. He represented his native country Bulgaria at the Summer Olympics in Montreal (1976) and in Moscow (1980). He won a silver Olympic medal in the light heavyweight 1980 after being stripped of the silver medal in the -82.5 kg competition in 1976 Summer Olympics due to a positive steroid test. Blagoy Blagoev competed in the 82.5 kg and 90 kg weight classes. He was a 3x World Champion (1981, 1982, 1983) in the middle heavyweight. He won 4 gold European medals – as a light heavyweight in 1979 and as a middle heavyweight in 1981-1983. Blagoev also won three consecutive World Cups in Varna, Bulgaria in 1982-1984 and 5 Bulgarian Championships (1979, 1981-1984).[2] He later coached the Australian Paralympic Powerlifting Team in the 1990s to early 2000s.[3]
Weightlifting achievements
edit- Silver medalist in Olympic Games (1980);[4][5]
- Senior World champion (1981,1982,1983);
- Silver medalist World Championships 1979,1980
- IWF Weightlifter of the Year 1982 and 1983
- World Cup Winner 1982 and 1983
- Sportsman of the year Bulgaria 1982
- Athlete of the Balkans 1983
- Senior European champion (1979, 1981, 1982 and 1983);
- Silver medalist in Senior European Championships (1976 and 1984);
- All-time senior world record holder in snatch (195.5 kg, competing at 90 kg);
- Best Sinclair lift of all times 195.5 kg in the Snatch at 90 kg bodyweight.
- Set 49 junior and senior ratified world records in 1975–1983.[5]
- Master of Sports (Bulgaria) 1974
- Honored Master of Sports (Bulgaria) 1979
- Honored Coach (Bulgaria) 1987
Career bests
edit82.5 kg class:
- Snatch 175 1979 Bulgaria, 1980 Moscow
- Clean and Jerk 210 1979 Bulgaria
- Total 385 1979 Bulgaria
90 kg class:
- Snatch: 195.5 kg in 1983 in Varna
- Clean and jerk: 228.5 kg in 1983 in Varna.
- Total: 420.0 kg in 1983 in Varna.[5]
- World Championships Best:
82.5 kg 175+197.5 Moscow 1980, 90 kg 190+227.5 Moscow 1983
- European Championships Best-
82.5 kg 172.5+207.5 Varna 1979, 90 kg 190+227.5 Moscow 1983, 192.5+225 Vittorio, Spain.1984
- World Cup Best
90 kg Halmstad 195+217.5 1982
References
edit- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Blagoy Blagoev". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
- ^ "Doping cases at Summer Games since 1968". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 29 June 2019.
- ^ Annual Report 2002–2003. Australian Paralympic Committee
- ^ "Blagoi Blagoev". databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- ^ a b c "Blagoy Blagoev". Lift Up. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
External links
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