Mitko Tsenov () (born 13 June 1993) is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n middle-distance runner who specializes in various events. He represented Bulgaria at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. As of 2014, Tsenov is the fastest Bulgarian to have ever run the 3000 metres steeplechase, breaking Mikhail Zhelev's national record on June 12, 2014.

Running career

Tsenov made his first major international appearance at the

2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 20, 2011. The races were held at the Polideportivo Antonio Gil Hernández in Punta Umbría, Spain. Reports of the event were given for the IAAF. Preparation The Uni ...

, where he placed 86th out of 106 finishers in the junior men's 8K race. At the

2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2012 World Athletics U20 Championships, World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international Sport of athletics, athletics competition for athletes qualifying as Junior (athletics), juniors (born 1993 or later) which was held at the E ...

, he competed in the men's 3000-metre steeplechase, where he narrowly missed qualification to the final round. At the 2012 European Cross Country Championships, he finished second overall in the junior men's race behind

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

's Szymon Kulka, winning Bulgaria's first ever medal in the

European Cross Country Championships The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championship ...

. At the 2013 European Cross Country Championships, he finished second overall again, except this time in a lengthier-distance U23 race. In 2014, he placed ninth of fifteen competitors in the finals of the men's 3000-meter steeplechase at the

2014 European Athletics Championships The 2014 European Athletics Championships was held in Zürich, Switzerland, between 12 and 17 August 2014. It was the first time that Switzerland had hosted the European Athletics Championships since 1954 European Athletics Championships, 1954. G ...

. In 2015, he began trying several different disciplines for which he had trained less for in the past. On May 17, 2015, at the Elite Meeting in

Montgeron Montgeron () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the northeast part of the department of Essonne. It is located from the center of Paris. The café ''Au Reveil Matin'' at 22 Avenue Jean Jaurès was the depar ...

, Tsenov won the men's 3000 meters. On June 10, 2015, he won the 1500 meters in Bulgaria's national championship. He fulfilled the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

qualifying standard for the

3000 meters steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the ...

on May 29, 2015.
Vladimir Vulkanov. Novsport.com: Митко Ценов покри олимпийски норматив в бягането на 3000 метра стипълчейз 30 May 2015

References

External links

European Athletics - Athlete: Mitko Tsenov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsenov, Mitko Bulgarian male middle-distance runners People from Mezdra Sportspeople from Vratsa Province World Athletics Championships athletes for Bulgaria 1993 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for Bulgaria Bulgarian male steeplechase runners 21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen