Bulgarian Olympic Glory - Gymnastics

published on 11/22/11 1:34 PM

Stoyan Delchev is the first Bulgarian gymnast with an Olympic and a World title

Photo: Архив

Nearly 1500 years after the last ancient Olympic Games, French nobleman Pierre de Coubertin started working for their revival. The creators of the modern Olympic Games in the end of the 19th century naturally decided that Greece must be the host of the games and so on April 6, 1896, the Greek King George I opened the first modern games in Athens. The incredible idea of Coubertin, was backed by 14 countries, including Bulgaria. The countries that decided to participate send a total of 245 competitors to Athens. The sport in which Bulgaria competed was gymnastics. At these games the competitors of Greece won most of the medals - 47, while postman Spiridon Luis became an Olympic hero winning the marathon.

Charles Champeau

Bulgarian teacher Todor Yonchev, chairman of the “Yunak” Gymnastics Association has the biggest contribution for the Bulgarian participation at the first Olympic Games. In 1896 four representatives of the club departed for Athens together with Mr. Yonchev. However, only Charles Champaud took part in the competition. He was a teacher in gymnastics in Sofia and captain of Yunak. Champaud was one of the 12 Swiss teachers who came to work in Bulgaria in the end of the 19th century. Although Champaud did not win a medal, Bulgaria is proud to this very day of its first Olympic competitor. According to historical data, the fourth day of the games were dedicated to gymnastics and Charles Champaud competed in 3 disciplines and placed 5th in the pommel horse discipline.

“Champaud appeared at the stadium and amazed the spectators with a number of selected exercises in a competition with 17 gymnasts from 5 countries,” Todor Yonchev wrote after the contest.

Velik Kapsazov

64 years passed after the first Bulgarian participation at Olympic Games before gymnast Velik Kapsazov won the first Olympic medal in this sport. This happened in 1960 in Rome, where Kapsazov won the silver medal in men’s rings. In 1980 in Moscow Stoyan Delchev won the gold in men's horizontal bar. Delchev was the first gymnast to grab the world title. He is also an author of a bar exercise that bears his name. In Seoul 1988 Lyubomir Geraskov became olympic champion in pommel horse, while in 1996 in Atlanta, Krassimir Dunev grabbes the silver in men’s bar. At the games in Sydney in 200, incredible Yordan Yovchev grabbed two bronze medals in rings and floor exercises. Yovchev is also two-times world champion in those disciplines and has participated in five Olympic Games, so far.

Yordan Yovchev

In London fans of gymnastics will be able to watch the performance of the Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics team. The team led by Iliana Raeva, has recently won the world gold in France and in 2012 its aim will be the first place at the most prestigious sports forum on the planet.

English: Alexander Markov

По публикацията работи: Alexander Markov

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