View source for Yanko Rusev

{{Short description|Bulgarian weightlifter (born 1958)}}
{{expand Bulgarian|topic=bio|Янко Русев|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name           = Yanko Rusev
| image          = YANKO RUSEV.jpg
| alt            = Yanko Rusev in 2014
| caption        = Rusev in 2014
| birth_name     = 
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1958|12|01|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Shumen Municipality|Ivanski]], [[Shumen Province]], Bulgaria
| death_date     =
| death_place    = 
| nationality    = Bulgarian
| occupation     = Weightlifter
| years_active   = 
| sport          = Olympic weightlifting
| headercolor    = lightsteelblue
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifting]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{BUL}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Weightlifting at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
[[File:Olympic rings.svg|center|80px]]
{{MedalGold|[[1980 Summer Olympics|1980 Moscow]]|[[Weightlifting at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's 67.5 kg|67.5&nbsp;kg]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Weightlifting Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1977 World Weightlifting Championships|1977 Stuttgart]]|60 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1978 World Weightlifting Championships|1978 Gettysburg]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1979 World Weightlifting Championships|1979 Saloniki]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1980 World Weightlifting Championships|1980 Moscow]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1981 World Weightlifting Championships|1981 Lille]]|75 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1982 World Weightlifting Championships|1982 Ljubljana]]|75 kg}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1977 World Weightlifting Championships|1983 Moscow]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Weightlifting Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1977 European Weightlifting Championships|1977 Stuttgart]]|60 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1978 European Weightlifting Championships|1978 Havirov]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1979 European Weightlifting Championships|1979 Varna]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1980 European Weightlifting Championships|1980 Beograd]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1981 European Weightlifting Championships|1981 Lille]]|75 kg}}
{{MedalGold|[[1982 European Weightlifting Championships|1982 Ljubljana]]|75 kg}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1983 European Weightlifting Championships|1983 Moscow]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Friendship Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1984 Friendship Games|1984 Varna]]|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Friendship Cup]]}}
{{MedalGold|1978 Moscow|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|IWF World Cup Final}}
{{MedalBronze|1980 Madrid|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalBronze|1982 Halmstad|75 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|IWF World Cup Winner}}
{{MedalGold|1981 Vienna|75 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|IWF World Cup}}
{{MedalGold|1981 Athens|75 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1982 Atlantic City|75 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1983 Allentown|75 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1984 Budapest|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Junior World Weightlifting Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|1978 Athens|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalBronze|1977 Sofia|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Junior Wrestling Championships|European Junior Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|1978 Athens|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalBronze|1977 Sofia|67.5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Balkan Weightlifting Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|1976 Drăgășani|60 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1977 Ankara|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1978 Athens|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Bulgarian Weightlifting Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|1978 Veliko Tarnovo|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1979 Sofia|67,5 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1981 Vidin|75 kg}}
{{MedalGold|1982 Varna|75 kg}}
{{MedalSilver|1983 Varna|75 kg}}
}}

'''Yanko Rusev''' ({{langx|bg|Янко Русев}}, born 1 December 1958) is a former [[Olympic Games|Olympic]] [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifter]] for [[Bulgaria]].

In 1993 he was elected member of the [[International Weightlifting Federation]] Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Weightlifting Hall of Fame|publisher=International Weightlifting Federation|url=http://www.iwf.net/focus-on-iwf/hall-of-fame/members/|access-date=2008-08-07}}</ref> He was named the 1981 Sportsman of the Year for Bulgaria. In 2019 he was awarded the highest state award of Bulgaria in the field of sport - the Wreath of the winner. Rusev is an Olympic, five-time world and five-time European champion and multiple world record holder. He is the winner of the World Cup in 1981 and a gold medalist in cat. 67.5 at the strongest competition in the world in 1984 - the Friendship Games. Yanko is a three-time Balkan champion and a four-time champion of Bulgaria. Rusev is also world and European junior champion. He was named the [[BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year]] in 1979.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bta.bg/bg/news/sport/bg/816349-vsichki-pobediteli-v-anketata-na-bta-sportist-na-balkanite-|title= Всички победители в анкетата на БТА "Спортист на Балканите"|date=January 17, 2025 |publisher=www.bta.bg|author=Dimitar Veliov |access-date=May 16, 2025}}</ref>

==Early life==
He was born on December 1, 1958, in Ivanski, [[Shumen Province|Shumen]]. At 15, he attempted to enter the sport school "Olympian Hopes" ({{Langx|bg|Олимпийски Hадежди}}) in Sofia, but was turned down on the grounds that he was a "hopeless" weightlifter.

==Training==
Rusev first began training for [[Association football|soccer]] and [[wrestling]]. Afterwards, he took an interest in [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifting]]. During his education at 19, [[Ivan Abadzhiev]] noticed him, and soon Rusev was weightlifting in the world games at [[Stuttgart]], and won a silver medal.

==Weightlifting achievements==
*Olympic champion (1980 - 67,5&nbsp;kg);
*Five-time senior world champion (1978, 79 and 80 - 67,5&nbsp;kg, 81 and 1982 – 75&nbsp;kg);
*Twice silver medalist in Senior World Championships (1977 – 60&nbsp;kg and 1983 - 67,5&nbsp;kg);
*Five-time senior European champion (1978, 79, 80 - 67,5&nbsp;kg 81 and 1982 75&nbsp;kg);
*Twice silver medalist in Senior European Championships (1977 – 60&nbsp;kg and 1983 - 67,5&nbsp;kg);
*Set 36 world records during his career.
*Sportsman of the year Bulgaria 1981
==World Records by Yanko Rusev==
*9/19/1977 Clean and Jerk 165 Featherweight Stuttgart 
*7/18/1978 Clean and Jerk 179 Lightweight Athens 
*10/5/1978 Clean and Jerk 180 Lightweight Gettysburg 
*5/22/1979 Snatch 145 Lightweight Varna 
*5/22/1979 Snatch 146 Lightweight Varna 
*5/22/1979 Clean and Jerk 181.5 Lightweight Varna 
*7/9/1979 Snatch 147 Lightweight Sofia 
*7/9/1979 Clean and Jerk 185.5 Lightweight Sofia 
*7/9/1979 Total (2)  325 Lightweight Sofia 
*11/6/1979 Clean and Jerk 187.5 Lightweight Saloniki 
*11/6/1979 Total (2)  332.5 Lightweight Saloniki 
*2/1/1980 Snatch 147.5 Lightweight Varna 
*2/1/1980 Clean and Jerk 188 Lightweight Varna 
*2/1/1980 Total (2)  335 Lightweight Varna 
*4/28/1980 Snatch 148 Lightweight Beograd 
*4/28/1980 Clean and Jerk 190 Lightweight Beograd 
*4/28/1980 Total (2)  337.5 Lightweight Beograd 
*7/23/1980 Clean and Jerk 195 Lightweight Moscow 
*7/23/1980 Total (2)  342.5 Lightweight Moscow 
*9/16/1981 Clean and Jerk 206 Middleweight Lille 
*4/8/1982 Clean and Jerk 206.5 Middleweight Varna 
*9/2/1982 Total (2)  365 Middleweight Ljubljana 
*9/22/1982 Clean and Jerk 208 Middleweight Ljubljana 
*9/22/1982 Clean and Jerk 209 Middleweight Ljubljana 
*9/22/1982 Total (2)  362.5 Middleweight Ljubljana

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{databaseOlympics|RUSEVYAN01|archive=20070826225755}}
* {{SR/Olympics|ru/yanko-rusev-1}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Weightlifting Lightweight}}
{{Footer World Champions Weightlifting Men Lightweight}}
{{Footer World Champions Weightlifting Men Middleweight}}
{{BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year}}
{{Bulgarian Sportsperson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusev, Yanko}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Bulgarian male weightlifters]]
[[Category:Olympic weightlifters for Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Weightlifters at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in weightlifting]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Shumen]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World record setters in weightlifting]]
[[Category:European Weightlifting Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Weightlifting Championships medalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Bulgarian sportsmen]]
[[Category:Friendship Games medalists in weightlifting]]


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