Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

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

Photo: archive
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


Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Karlos Nasar

Seven Olympic medals for Bulgaria in Paris

Tihomir Ivanov took the eighth place in the high jump with a personal best of 2.27 m and ended the Bulgarian participation at the Olympic Games in Paris. The tally for Bulgaria from the 2024 Paris Olympics is seven medals - three gold, one..

published on 8/11/24 9:50 AM

Bulgaria’s rhythmic gymnastics ensemble fails to win any Olympic medals

Though it was in the lead in the qualifications, the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics ensemble failed to earn any Olympic medals. Magdalina Minevska, Sofia Ivanova, Kamelia Petrova, Rachel Stoyanov and Margarita Vassileva made mistakes in the hoops,..

published on 8/10/24 5:20 PM
Yoana Georigeva

Yoana Georgieva and Bilyana Dudova will not be vying for Olympic medals

Yoana Georigeva , a newcomer to the Olympics, finished 7 th in the third 500 m. kayak single semifinals. This means she will not be advancing to the finals in the event. The 22-year old Bulgarian contestant will not be taking part in Final C...

published on 8/10/24 12:53 PM