Ion Taranu (14 March 1938 – 2005) was a

Greco-Roman wrestler Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roman (British English), classic wrestling ( Euro English) or French wrestling (in Russia until 1948) is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Greco-Roman wrestling was included in the first mo ...

from Romania. He competed at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics and won a bronze medal in 1960. He also won a silver medal at the 1967 European ChampionshipsTaranu, Ion (ROU)
. iat.uni-leipzig.de Domestically he collected 15 Romanian middleweight titles.

Career

Taranu won his first national title in 1959, and next year qualified for the 1960 Olympics. His previous international experience consisted of two bouts against

Hans Antonsson Hans Yngve Antonsson (8 November 1934 – 2 September 2021) was a Swedish freestyle wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 1960 Olympics. His uncle Bertil Antonsson was also an Olympic wrestler. References External links * 1934 births 2 ...

, both held in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. In Rome he unexpectedly defeated the Turkish world champion Kazim Ayvaz, but lost to

Dimitar Dobrev Dimitar Dimitrov Dobrev ( bg, Димитър Добрев; 14 April 1931 – 1 April 2019) was a Greco-Roman wrestler from Bulgaria, where he spent most of his professional career. Dobrev was the Olympic champion in the middleweight divis ...

and ended in a third place. Next year he placed fourth at the 1961 World Championships after losing to Vasily Zenin. Taranu performed well at the 1964 Olympics, having no losses in his four matches, but he accumulated 6 penalty points in his draws against Matti Laakso and

Anatoly Kolesov Anatoly Ivanovich Kolesov (russian: Анатолий Иванович Колесов, 18 January 1938 – 2 January 2012) was a Soviet Greco-Roman wrestler and coach. He won the world welterweight title in 1962, 1963 and 1965 and an Olympic gol ...

and ended in a fifth place. In 1967 he won a silver medal at the European championships, but placed only sixth at the world championships held in

, after losing to Viktor Igumenov. Taranu retired from competitions after finishing fifth at the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

. He then studied at the

National Academy of Physical Education and Sport The Universitatea Națională de Educație Fizică și Sport (UNEFS), is one of the highest-profile higher education institutions in Romania, and was founded on 1 December 1922, in Bucharest. It was the tenth institution of its kind in the worl ...

in Bucharest, defending a PhD in 1971 and eventually becoming a professor there. He also coached wrestlers at Progresul Bucharest and

Dinamo Bucharest A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterin ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taranu, Ion 1938 births 2005 deaths Romanian male sport wrestlers Olympic wrestlers for Romania Olympic bronze medalists for Romania Olympic medalists in wrestling Wrestlers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics People from Turnu Măgurele 20th-century Romanian people Sportspeople from Teleorman County