Blagoev (Bulgaria)
History in Color: One of all-time best Olympic weightlifters, Blagoy Blagoev competes for Bulgaria at the 1983 World Championship in Moscow. In 1983, Blagoev won the World title in the 90kg weight class with...
Tagged: Bulgaria
Pocket Hercules at 16
16-year old Olympic weightlifter Naim Suleymanov of Bulgaria is training for the 1984 European Championship in Vittorio, Spain. Left to right: Neno Terziysky (52kg), Nedelcho Kolev and Norair Nurikyan are observing the training session of...
Abadzhiev and Nurikyan (Bulgaria)
Ivan Abadzhiev (1938-2017) and Norair Nurikyan (b. 1948) of Team Bulgaria made perhaps one of the most successful and productive coach-and-athlete and, later, coach-and-coach team throughout the history of Olympic weightlifting. As a young aspiring...
Team Europe 1975
The group shot of Team Europe 1975 on the cover was taken at the match between the Continental Europe vs. Americas in December 1975 in Montreal, Canada. Front row (left to right): Igor Kudyukov...
Ivan Abadzhiev (1932-2017)
Legendary Olympic weightlifting coach and athlete Ivan Abadzhiev of Bulgaria has passed way. He died after a complication of open heart surgery. He was 85. Ivan Abadzhiev needs no special introduction in the world...
Bulgarian Training and Bulgarian Championships
Bulgarian training methodology was a truly revolutionary look at the training and competition process in Olympic weightlifting. It was masterminded by Ivan Abadzhiev, the head coach of Team Bulgaria for 20 years (1969-1989). Sometimes...
Atanas Kirov (1946-2017)
Atanas Kirov of Bulgaria died in Burgas on January 27, 2017. He was 70. Atanas Kirov was an outstanding Olympic weightlifter. He was the first Bulgarian weightlifter who won the European Championship for his...
Rusev
Yanko Rusev (b.1958) was a graduate of the Bulgarian weightlifting school that challenged the Soviet team to dominate Olympic weightlifting in the 1970’s and the 1980’s. Overall, while most of the time the Soviets...
Abadzhiev
The enhanced archival photo depicts the coach of Team Bulgaria Ivan Abadzhiev doing a high pull of 300kg (660 lbs) in the training camp. Abadzhiev is barefeet. The boy at the volleyball court behind...
The Back of A Weightlifter
“Weights are to be lifted by the back and legs!” It is the axiom of Olympic weightlifting. Whenever you first enter the training gym, it will be the first lesson by the coach. The photo...
