†
Ivan Abadjiev was a weightlifter who competed for Bulgaria. He competed at the 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympic Games. He passed away on 24 March 2017, at the age of 84, after a health complication. After his career, he became a coach of the Bulgaria weightlifting team, which he lead to 12 Olympic gold medals between 1968 and 2000, becoming one of the coaching legends in the sport.
At his first Olympic appearance in Melbourne in 1956, he participated in the lightweight competition. After the military press, he was only ranked tied 15th of 18, despite attempting to equal the former Olympic record, set in 1948. He compensated in the snatch, in which he was ranked second behind Ihor Rybak, equalling the Olympic record of 1952. In the final round, the jerk, he was ranked sixth, and with a total of 357.5 kilograms, he finished seventh in the competition.
Four years later, his weak point was once again the military press. He once again attempted the lift 107.5 kilograms, the weight he attempted in 1956. After three attempts, he finally succeeded, ranked 17th of 23 athletes. His specialist round the snatch once again acted as compensation, and with the third-best result of the round, he climbed up the rankings. With a mediocre performance in the jerk, he was able to hold onto his 12th place.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Men's 67.5 kg | 7th |
| 1960 | Men's 75 kg | 12th |
1956[]
| Discipline | Phase | Lift 1 | Lift 2 | Lift 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67.5 kg | Military press | 102.5 | ||
| Snatch | 110 | 115 | 117.5 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 132.5 | 137.5 |
1960[]
| Discipline | Phase | Lift 1 | Lift 2 | Lift 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 kg | Military press | 107.5 | ||
| Snatch | 115 | 120 | 122.5 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 140 |