Yanko Rusev (Bulgarian: Янко Русев, born 1 December 1958) is a former Olympic weightlifter for Bulgaria.

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Yanko Rusev

Rusev in 2014
Personal information
Nationality	Bulgarian
Born	(1958-12-01) 1 December 1958 (age 65) Ivanski, Shumen Province, Bulgaria
Occupation	Weightlifter
Sport
Sport	Olympic weightlifting
Medal record Men's weightlifting Representing  Bulgaria Olympic Games 1980 Moscow 67.5 kg World Championships 1977 Stuttgart 60 kg 1978 Gettysburg 67.5 kg 1979 Saloniki 67.5 kg 1980 Moscow 67.5 kg 1981 Lille 75 kg 1982 Ljubljana 75 kg 1983 Moscow 67.5 kg European Championships 1977 Stuttgart 60 kg 1978 Havirov 67.5 kg 1979 Varna 67.5 kg 1980 Beograd 67.5 kg 1981 Lille 75 kg 1982 Ljubljana 75 kg 1983 Moscow 67.5 kg Friendship Games 1984 Varna 67.5 kg Friendship Cup 1978 Moscow 67.5 kg IWF World Cup Final 1980 Madrid 67,5 kg 1982 Halmstad 75 kg IWF World Cup Winner 1981 Vienna 75 kg IWF World Cup 1981 Athens 75 kg 1982 Atlantic City 75 kg 1983 Allentown 75 kg 1984 Budapest 67,5 kg Junior World Weightlifting Championships 1978 Athens 67,5 kg 1977 Sofia 67.5 kg European Junior Championships 1978 Athens 67,5 kg 1977 Sofia 67.5 kg Balkan Weightlifting Championships 1976 Drăgășani 60 kg 1977 Ankara 67,5 kg 1978 Athens 67,5 kg Bulgarian Weightlifting Championships 1978 Veliko Tarnovo 67,5 kg 1979 Sofia 67,5 kg 1981 Vidin 75 kg 1982 Varna 75 kg 1983 Varna 75 kg

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In 1993 he was elected member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.^[1] He was named the 1981 Sportsperson 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 born on December 1, 1958, in Ivanski, Shumen. At 15, he attempted to enter the sport school "Olympian Hopes" (Bulgarian: Олимпийски Hадежди) in Sofia, but was turned down on the grounds that he was a "hopeless" weightlifter.

Rusev first began training for soccer and wrestling. Afterwards, he took an interest in 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.

• Olympic champion (1980 - 67,5 kg);
• Five-time senior world champion (1978, 79 and 80 - 67,5 kg, 81 and 1982 – 75 kg);
• Twice silver medalist in Senior World Championships (1977 – 60 kg and 1983 - 67,5 kg);
• Five-time senior European champion (1978, 79, 80 - 67,5 kg 81 and 1982 75 kg);
• Twice silver medalist in Senior European Championships (1977 – 60 kg and 1983 - 67,5 kg);
• Set 36 world records during his career.

• 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