Yordan Yovchev

Yordan Yovchev Yovchev (Bulgarian: Йордан Йовчев Йовчев; born February 24, 1973), also spelled Jordan Jovtchev, is a retired Bulgarian gymnast. 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.[1]

Yordan Yovchev
Personal information
Alternative name(s)
  • Iordan Iovtchev
  • Jordan Jovtchev
Country represented Bulgaria
Born (1973-02-24) 24 February 1973
Plovdiv
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
Medal record
Representing  Bulgaria
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place2004 AthensRings
Bronze medal – third place2000 SydneyFloor exercise
Bronze medal – third place2000 SydneyRings
Bronze medal – third place2004 AthensFloor exercise
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2001 GhentFloor
Gold medal – first place2001 GhentRings
Gold medal – first place2003 AnaheimFloor
Gold medal – first place2003 AnaheimRings
Silver medal – second place1996 San JuanRings
Silver medal – second place2002 DebrecenFloor
Silver medal – second place2002 DebrecenRings
Silver medal – second place2006 AarhusRings
Silver medal – second place2009 LondonRings
Bronze medal – third place1995 SabaeRings
Bronze medal – third place1999 TianjinAll Around
Bronze medal – third place2001 GhentAll Around
Bronze medal – third place2007 StuttgartRings
European Men's Championships
Gold medal – first place2002 PatrasRings
Silver medal – second place2002 PatrasAll Around
Silver medal – second place2002 PatrasFloor
Silver medal – second place2004 LjubljanaFloor
Silver medal – second place2006 VolosRings
Silver medal – second place2008 Lausanne Rings
Bronze medal – third place2010 BirminghamRings
European Individual Championships
Silver medal – second place2007 AmsterdamRings
Bronze medal – third place2009 Milan Rings
European Team Championships
Silver medal – second place1997 ParisTeam
Goodwill Games
Gold medal – first place2001 BrisbaneFloor
Gold medal – first place2001 BrisbaneRings

Biography

Yovchev was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He won silver in the men's rings at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with a score of 9.850. In the same Olympic Games, Yovchev won bronze in the men's floor exercise with a score of 9.775. In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, 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, staying in Detroit, Michigan 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.[2]

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 in London, which was his 6th appearance at the Olympic Games, a record at that time for a gymnast, along with Oksana Chusovitina 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 during the opening ceremony. Yovchev officially retired from the sport in February 2013.[3]

In 2016, he was inducted in the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Results on SASUKE
  • 8th competition (59): Failed Spider Climb - Final Stage
  • 12th competition (99): Failed Cliff Hanger Kai - Third Stage
  • 14th competition (91): Failed Cliff Hanger Kai - Third Stage
  • 15th competition (97): Failed Warped Wall - First Stage
  • 16th competition (95): Failed Cliff Hanger Kai - 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
  1. "Йордан Йовчев сложи край на кариерата си". bTV Новините (in Bulgarian). 24 August 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  2. topsport editors (11 August 2012). "Йордан Йовчев: oтказах на американците, за да има кой да ги приземява. "Щастлив съм от своята кариера, простих за Атина" (in Bulgarian). topsport.bg (originally published in 24 chasa). Retrieved 7 December 2014. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  3. topsport editors (11 February 2013). "Куп звезди изпращат Йовчев, бенефисът е на 23-ти февруари" (in Bulgarian). topsport.bg. Retrieved 7 December 2014. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
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