Yordan Yovchev Yovchev ( bg, Йордан Йовчев Йовчев; born February 24, 1973), also spelled Jordan Jovtchev, is a retired Bulgarian

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

. He took part in six consecutive Olympic Games, more than any other Bulgarian athlete in Olympic history. He is president of the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation and also serves as a sports commentator.

Biography

Yovchev was born in

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the ...

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 Macedo ...

. He won silver in the men's rings at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

with a score of 9.850. In the same

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

, Yovchev won bronze in the men's

floor exercise In gymnastics, the floor is a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The gymnastics event performed on the floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for t ...

with a score of 9.775. In the 2000 Olympics in

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

, he won the bronze on both floor exercise and still rings with 9.787 and 9.762 respectively. He also won two World Championship Bronze medals in the all around (1999, 2001). Yovchev made his fifth Olympic team for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and qualified again for the Rings exercise. He qualified second with a score of 16.275 under the new scoring system, but missed a handstand and finished the final in last place with a score of 15.525. He has competed in many SASUKE tournaments, reaching the final stage in the 8th competition; he did not pass the spider climb in the first 15 seconds, so the walls spread apart and he fell. He is the only competitor to not pass the spider climb in this version of the final stage, other than Shingo Yamamoto who did not complete it due to injury, but his early failure could be attributed to the heavy rain during the entire competition. Since then he has not passed the third stage. He, Krasimir Dunev, and Ivan Ivankov moved to the United States after the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, staying in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

as they wanted to compete professionally in the United States. During his career, he turned down proposals to change his sporting allegiance and compete for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. He coached and trained in Norman, Oklahoma, and Houston, Texas, before moving back to Bulgaria in 2007. He and his wife, Boriana, have a son, Yordan, Jr. In 2009, he was elected president of the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation. Yordan Yovchev qualified and participated in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

in London, which was his 6th appearance at the Olympic Games, a record at that time for a gymnast, along with

Oksana Chusovitina Oksana Aleksandrovna Chusovitina (russian: Оксана Александровна Чусовитина; born 19 June 1975) is an eight-time Olympic gymnast who has competed for the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan, and Germany. Chusovitina's care ...

who also made her 6th Olympic appearance in 2012 (she now holds the record alone, having competed in her 8th Olympics in 2021). He was also his country's

flagbearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

during the opening ceremony. Yovchev officially retired from the sport in February 2013. In 2016, he was inducted in the

International Gymnastics Hall of Fame The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, located in Oklahoma City, USA, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of the world's greatest competitors, coaches and authorities in artistic gymnastics. The early IGHO ...

Results on SASUKE

* 8th competition (59): Failed Spider Climb - Final Stage * 12th competition (99): Failed Cliff Hanger - Third Stage * 14th competition (91): Failed Cliff Hanger - Third Stage *15th competition (97): Failed Warped Wall - First Stage * 16th competition (95): Failed Cliff Hanger - Third Stage *20th competition (1993)*: Failed Warped Wall - First Stage *23rd competition (79): Failed Rope Ladder - First Stage * *In the 20th competition, the numbering system for the contestants ran from 1901-2000 to indicate that 2000 competitors have attempted SASUKE. Instead of being number 93, Yovchev's number was 1993.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yovchev, Yordan 1973 births Living people Bulgarian male artistic gymnasts Sportspeople from Plovdiv World champion gymnasts European champions in gymnastics Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Gymnasts at the 1992 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1996 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2008 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Bulgaria Olympic bronze medalists for Bulgaria Olympic gymnasts of Bulgaria Sasuke (TV series) contestants Bulgarian expatriates in the United States Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Goodwill Games medalists in gymnastics Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games