Yordan Yovchev

Four medals from two Olympic Games. Two times double World Champion. Medals from European championships. And always perfect and impressive. Yordan Yovchev is Bulgaria’s most successful gymnast. He was born in Plovidv on February 24, 1973. He made his first steps in gymnastic at the age of 7. Some of his countless victories are: second in the all-round at the European Junior Championship in Athens 1991; bronze medal in floor exercise and fourth in the all-round for the European Cup Rome 1995, vice- champion in rings and fourth in the all-round in Copenhagen 1996; two times bronze in the all-round from the Artistic Gymnastic World Championships from Tianjin 1999, and Ghent 2001. At the Olympic Games in Sidney 2000 Yovchev won two bronze medals from floor exercise and rings. He won two gold medals in Ghent – in floor exercise and rings. Then in 2002 he became second in the all-round competition in Patras 2002, when he ranked first in floor exercise and rings. At the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship, held in Debrecen 2002, Yovchev scored two silvers – rings and floor exercise. In Anaheim 2003 he became double World Champion – in rings and floor exercise. Second in floor exercise and fourth in rings at the European Championship in 2004. In Athens, at the Olympic Games 2004, Yovchev did a perfect performance at both competitions. But the judges robbed Yovchev in his star discipline – the rings, by giving surprisingly the gold to the Greek Tampakos. After the final, the rings bronze medallist Yuri Chechi from Italy raised Yovchev's hand, showing the Greeks who is the doubtless number 1 in the rings.