Valentin Dimitrov Yordanov (; born January 26, 1960), also

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

Jordanov, is a retired Bulgarian freestyle

wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...

who competed in the up to 52 kg

weight class Weight classes are divisions of competition used to match competitors against others of their own size. Weight classes are used in a variety of sports including Rowing (sport), rowing, Weightlifting#Weightlifting sports, weight lifting, and especi ...

. He is an Olympic gold medalist, seven-time World Champion, seven-time European Champion, and the only wrestler to hold 10 medals (seven gold, two silver and one bronze) from the

World Wrestling Championships The World Wrestling Championships for Greco-Roman wrestling (men, since 1904) and freestyle wrestling (men since 1951, women since 1987) are organized by United World Wrestling (UWW). Unofficial editions Several World Greco-Roman Championships h ...

Early life

He was born in the Bulgarian village of Sandrovo in the Ruse Municipality. He began wrestling at the age of 10, and was coached by Georgi Achev from 1970 to 1978. He did his military service at the sports school of the

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sports Club of the Army'' ...

sports club from 1978 to 1980, where he worked with Yancho Patrikov. He won his first European championship in 1980 in

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

, Turkey, and his first world championship in 1983 in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. He continued to work at the CSKA sports club until 1990. He was one of two people to be named the Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year in 1989.

Team Foxcatcher

In 1990, Yordanov emigrated to the United States, training and living at multi-millionaire John du Pont's Foxcatcher Farm in Pennsylvania while continuing to wrestle for Bulgaria. He won a bronze medal at the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

in the Freestyle Flyweight 52 kg event and a gold medal in the same event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Following his death in 2010, John du Pont's will bequeathed 80 percent of his estate to Yordanov and his relatives.

Post-retirement

He retired from wrestling after the 1996 Olympics. In 1997 he became a member of the Athletes' Commission of FILA, and has been the President of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation since 1998. He has been a member of the board of the

Bulgarian Olympic Committee The Bulgarian Olympic Committee (; abbreviated as БОК, BOC) is a non-profit organization serving as the National Olympic Committee of Bulgaria and a part of the International Olympic Committee. History The Bulgarian Olympic committee was forme ...

since 2000. He is married and has two children. In 2010, multimillionaire John du Pont died in prison while serving his sentence for murder. du Pont's most recent will bequeathed 80 percent of his estate to Yordanov, his wife, Zdravka Moneta Atanosova Dimitrov, and their relatives. Du Pont had been a ''Forbes'' 400 member worth an estimated US$200 million in 1986, equivalent to $ in . The Superior Court of Pennsylvania upheld a Delaware County Orphans Court order dismissing a challenge to the will from du Pont's family. In 2013, Yordanov returned his 1996 Olympic gold medal in protest of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

's decision to eliminate wrestling from the Olympics.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yordanov, Valentin Sportspeople from Ruse, Bulgaria Wrestlers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Bulgarian male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for Bulgaria Olympic gold medalists for Bulgaria Olympic bronze medalists for Bulgaria Olympic medalists in wrestling World Wrestling Championships medalists Bulgarian emigrants to the United States 20th-century Bulgarian sportsmen 21st-century Bulgarian people 1960 births Living people