Ion Taranu (14 March 1938 – 2005) was a Greco-Roman wrestler from Romania. He competed at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1960. He also won a silver medal at the 1967 European ChampionshipsTaranu, Ion (ROU)
. iat.uni-leipzig.de Domestically he collected 15 Romanian middleweight titles.

Career

Taranu won his first national title in 1959, and next year qualified for the 1960 Olympics. His previous international experience consisted of two bouts against Hans Antonsson, both held in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. In Rome he unexpectedly defeated the Turkish world champion Kazim Ayvaz, but lost to Dimitar Dobrev and ended in a third place. Next year he placed fourth at the 1961 World Championships after losing to Vasily Zenin. Taranu performed well at the 1964 Olympics, having no losses in his four matches, but he accumulated 6 penalty points in his draws against Matti Laakso and Anatoly Kolesov and ended in a fifth place. In 1967 he won a silver medal at the European championships, but placed only sixth at the world championships held in

, after losing to Viktor Igumenov. Taranu retired from competitions after finishing fifth at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

. He then studied at the National Academy of Physical Education and Sport in Bucharest, defending a PhD in 1971 and eventually becoming a professor there. He also coached wrestlers at Progresul Bucharest and

Dinamo Bucharest A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinb ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taranu, Ion 1938 births 2005 deaths Romanian male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for Romania Olympic bronze medalists for Romania Olympic medalists in wrestling Wrestlers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics People from Turnu Măgurele 20th-century Romanian sportsmen Sportspeople from Teleorman County