Yanko Bratanov

Yanko Ivanov Bratanov (Bulgarian: Янко Иванов Братанов; born 10 June 1952) is a Bulgarian former track and field athlete. He won gold in the 400 metres at the 1976 European Indoor Championships and was an Olympic finalist in the 400 m hurdles in 1976 and 1980. After his athletic career he has worked as a coach in Qatar and Bahrain.

Yanko Bratanov
Personal information
Born (1952-06-10) June 10, 1952
Sliven, Bulgaria
Height182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Sport
CountryBulgaria
Event(s)400 m hurdles
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)400 m hurdles: 49.77 (1976)
Medal record
European Indoor Championships
1976 Munich400 m
1975 Katowice4 × 2 laps
Updated on 21 July 2015.

Biography

Athletic career

Bratanov was born in Sliven on 10 June 1952.[1] He took up athletics early, initially competing in the 110 m hurdles but switching to the 400 m hurdles as a youth.[2] In 1970 he represented Bulgaria at the European Junior Championships in Colombes, but was eliminated in the first round.[3]

Bratanov equalled the Bulgarian record in the 400 m hurdles (51.8) in 1971; in 1972, he won the Bulgarian championship for the first time and improved the national record to 51.24.[2][4] He repeated as national champion in 1973 and 1974; at the 1974 European Championships in Rome he was eliminated in the semi-finals, but set a new Bulgarian record of 50.66.[2][4] In 1975 Bratanov won bronze at the European Indoor Championships in Katowice as the Bulgarian team's anchor in the 4 × 2 laps relay.[5]

At the 1976 European Indoor Championships in Munich Bratanov won gold in the men's 400 metres, setting a new Bulgarian indoor record of 47.79 in the final to defeat West Germany's defending champion Hermann Köhler.[2][5] Bratanov set his personal best in the 400 m hurdles, 49.77, in Fürth on 13 June 1976; he was the first Bulgarian to break 50 seconds.[2] He made his Olympic debut in Montreal later that summer, running 51.84 in the heats and 50.11 in the semi-finals; he qualified for the Olympic final, in which he placed sixth in 50.03.[1]

In total, Bratanov was a seven-time Bulgarian champion; five times outdoors in the 400 m hurdles (1972, 1973, 1974, 1978 and 1979) and twice indoors over 400 m (1974 and 1975).[4][6] At the 1978 European Championships in Prague Bratanov was eliminated in the semi-finals, but at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow he again qualified for the Olympic final; he was the only athlete to make the 400 m hurdles final in both Montreal and Moscow.[3][7] He suffered a cramp in the Moscow final and placed a clear last in 56.35.[2][7]

Coaching career

Bratanov retired as an athlete in 1983, but remained active in track and field as a coach. Initially, he coached in Bulgaria, moving to Qatar in 1992;[2][8] his Qatari pupils included Asian champions Samuel Francis and Femi Ogunode.[2] As of 2015, Bratanov is coaching in Bahrain; he coached Bahrain's team for the 2014 World Junior Championships in Eugene, Oregon, but was unable to attend personally after being denied a visa.[9][10]

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References
  1. "Yanko Bratanov Bio, Stats and Results". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. Vangelov, Aleksandr (10 June 2012). Янко Братанов "чукна" 60 (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  3. Yanko Bratanov at Tilastopaja (registration required)
  4. "Bulgarian Championships". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  5. Jalava, Mirko, ed. (2015). Statistics Handbook – Praha 2015. European Athletics; Organising Committee European Athletics Indoor Prague 2015. pp. 74, 188, 541.
  6. "Bulgarian Indoor Championships". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  7. Siukonen, Markku; et al. (1980). Urheilutieto 5 (in Finnish). Oy Scandia Kirjat Ab. p. 374. ISBN 951-9466-20-7.
  8. Ivanova, Snezhana (13 June 2005). "Novinar.bg" От 12 години Янко Братанов подготвя атлети в Катар (in Bulgarian). novinar.bg. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  9. Daneva, Mimi (14 July 2014). Посолство отказа виза на най-успешния треньор Янко Братанов (аудио и снимки) (in Bulgarian). sliven-sport.com. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  10. Landells, Steve (21 July 2015). "Naser takes a tip from George Michael and gets 400m gold in Cali". IAAF. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
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