Mitko Tsenov ( bg, Митко Ценов) (born 13 June 1993) is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n middle-distance runner who specializes in various events. He represented Bulgaria at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. As of 2014, Tsenov is the fastest Bulgarian to have ever run the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the h ...

, breaking

Mikhail Zhelev Mikhail Zhelev ( bg, Михаил Желев; 15 July 1943 – 5 January 2021) was a Bulgarian athlete, known primarily for running the steeplechase. He competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, finishing 6th and in the 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing ...

's national record on June 12, 2014.

Running career

Tsenov made his first major international appearance at the

2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 20, 2011. The races were held at the Polideportivo Antonio Gil Hernández in Punta Umbría, Spain. Reports of the event were given for the IAAF. Preparation The Unite ...

, where he placed 86th out of 106 finishers in the junior men's 8K race. At the

2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition for athletes qualifying as juniors (born 1993 or later) which was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, on 10–15 ...

, he competed in the men's 3000-metre steeplechase, where he narrowly missed qualification to the final round. At the

2012 European Cross Country Championships The 2012 European Cross Country Championships was the 19th edition of the cross country running competition for European athletes which was held in Szentendre, Hungary on 9 December. Andrea Lalli of Italy won the men's title to become the countr ...

, he finished second overall in the junior men's race behind

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

's Szymon Kulka, winning Bulgaria's first ever medal in the

European Cross Country Championships The European Cross Country Championships is an annual international cross country running competition. Organised by the European Athletic Association, it is the area championships for the region and is held in December each year. The championships ...

. At the

2013 European Cross Country Championships The 2013 European Cross Country Championships was the 20th edition of the cross country running competition for European athletes which was held in Belgrade, Serbia, on 8 December 2013. The senior individual winners were Alemayehu Bezabeh of Spain ...

, he finished second overall again, except this time in a lengthier-distance U23 race. In 2014, he placed ninth of fifteen competitors in the finals of the men's 3000-meter steeplechase at the

2014 European Athletics Championships The 2014 European Athletics Championships was held in Zürich, Switzerland, between 12 and 17 August 2014. It was the first time that Switzerland had hosted the European Athletics Championships since 1954. Great Britain headed the medal table, w ...

. In 2015, he began trying several different disciplines for which he had trained less for in the past. On May 17, 2015, at the Elite Meeting in

Montgeron Montgeron () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is northeast part of the Department of Essonne. It is located from the center of Paris. The café ''Au Reveil Matin'' at 22 Avenue Jean Jaurès was the departure point ...

, Tsenov won the men's 3000 meters. On June 10, 2015, he won the 1500 meters in Bulgaria's national championship. He fulfilled the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

qualifying standard for the

3000 meters steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which derives its name from the h ...

on May 29, 2015.
Vladimir Vulkanov. Novsport.com: Митко Ценов покри олимпийски норматив в бягането на 3000 метра стипълчейз 30 May 2015

References

External links

European Athletics - Athlete: Mitko Tsenov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsenov, Mitko Bulgarian male middle-distance runners People from Mezdra World Athletics Championships athletes for Bulgaria 1993 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Bulgaria Bulgarian male steeplechase runners