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Gymnast Yordan Yovchev to participate in Olympics for the 6th time

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Incredible Bulgarian gymnast Yordan Yovchev has won an Olympic quota for Bulgaria and is to become the only gymnast in the world with 6 participations in Olympic games.
During the last Olympic qualification competition, which took place in the O2 Arena in London, the 39-year-old athlete placed among the best 30 gymnasts in the events, winning the right to participate in the Olympic games this summer. Despite a pain in the shoulder Yovchev’s performance was top class and he gained a total of 82.698 points at the six events: floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar.

During the world championship in Tokio during the past year, the Bulgarian could not qualify for Olympic participation, but now the president of the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation showed he is still one of the best in the world. Thanks to his success, Yovchev will be the only Bulgarian gymnast in London. The athlete said his quota was of great importance for the development of the sport in the country too.

The news of Yovchev’s sixth Olympic qualification traveled the world fast, as it has been a really incredible achievement in the history of sport. There are other athletes in Bulgaria and the world who have participated 6 or even more times at Olympic games, but no one has ever done that in sport like gymnastics, requiring huge physical efforts.

Yordan Yovchev is the most successful Bulgarian gymnast, as well as one of the most popular Bulgarian athletes in the world. He has 2 still rings and 2 floor world titles in his career, At the Olympic Games in Sydney in 200 Yovchev won two bronze medals in the floor and still rings events, while 4 years later in Athens, he grabbed bronze in the floor event and a silver in the rings one. In Greece Yovchev was close to the gold, but according to many he was wronged by the judges, who gave the title to the Greek competitor. This way Yovchev still misses the gold in his collection. During the tournament in Japan in November Yovchev said he would focus on his favorite discipline – the rings, if he qualified for the Olympics. Despite Yovchev saying he had minimum chances for another Olympic medal and adding that he was competing for pleasure now, Bulgarian fans sincerely wished him the gold in London in 2012.

The success of this unique gymnast shows the extraordinary human abilities and motivate many people to start practicing sports. For sure the participation of Yordan Yovchev at the Olympic games in London 2012 will bring joy to all sports fans.



По публикацията работи: Alexander Markov


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