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Milen Dobrev

Personal information
Nationality	Bulgarian
Born	(1980-02-22)February 22, 1980 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Died	March 21, 2015(2015-03-21) (aged 35) Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	94 kg (207 lb)
Sport
Country	Bulgaria
Sport	Weightlifting
Event	–94 kg
Club	Olimp, Plovdiv
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	Snatch: 187.5 kg (2004) Clean & Jerk: 222.5 kg (2003) Total: 407.5 kg (2004)
Medal record Representing  Bulgaria Men's Weightlifting Olympic Games 2004 Athens –94 kg World Championships 2003 Vancouver –94 kg 2002 Warsaw –94 kg 2001 Antalya –85 kg 2005 Doha –94 kg European Championships 2003 Loutraki –94 kg 2004 Kyiv –94 kg 2002 Antalya –94 kg Goodwill Games 2001 Brisbane –85 kg World Junior Championships 2000 Prague –85 kg European Youth Championships 1996 Burgas –70 kg

Milen Atanasov Dobrev (Bulgarian: Милен Атанасов Добрев, February 22, 1980 – March 21, 2015) was a Bulgarian weightlifter.

Early life

Milen Dobrev was born in the village of Zhitnitsa, Plovdiv Province, Bulgaria in 1980. Dobrev started training weightlifting in 1991 under the coach Georgi Yotovski, when he was in sixth grade at the Vasil Levski Sports School and competed for the team of Maritsa. He soon proved to be a great prospect for the future.

Youth career

His first international competition on youth level was in 1996, at the European Youth Weightlifting Championships in Burgas Bulgaria, where he totalled 255 kg for the bronze medal. He also participated twice in World Youth Weightlifting Championships and was awarded a silver medal in Prague, 2000.

During his military service (1999–2000), he was part of the team of CSKA. After 2001 Dobrev transferred to the team of Maritsa-Olimp and started training under Krastyo Milev.

Senior career

After the win in the 85 kg weightlifting tournament of 2001 Brisbane Goodwill Games in Australia, he established himself as prominent part of the world elite of weightlifters.

He became part of the extended men's national team on February 11, 2001, and made his debut at the European Men's Championship in Trencin, Slovakia, winning bronze medal in the snatch, though failed to achieve a successful C&J attempt and posted a zero total. Later in 2001 he also made a debut at the 2001 World Championship in Antalya, Turkey, winning his first total bronze medal in the 85 kg category.

In 2002 he won silver medal at the European Championship in Antalya, Turkey, in the 94 kg category. Later in the same year, Dobrev also became second at the World Championship in Warsaw, Poland.

In 2003 he managed to win the gold medals both at the European Championship in Loutraki, Greece and the World Championship in Vancouver, Canada.

His undefeated run continued in 2004, when he first won the European Championship in Kiev, Ukraine in April and then in August he peaked throughout his career winning the Olympic gold in Athens 2004 Olympic games middle heavyweight class.

The following year in Doha, Qatar, he managed for bronze at the World Championships, which accounted for his last eight medal on a senior level.

Milen Dobrev collected 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals out of 10 major senior competitions in which he took part throughout his career.

He was the first Bulgarian to win an Olympic title in weightlifting as a member of a team from Plovdiv (Maritsa-Olimp).

Milen Dobrev has been an honorary citizen of Plovdiv since 2004. On April 20, 2005, at a ceremony in the Greek Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, he was also named honorary citizen of Athens, Greece.

Death

Sadly, Milen Dobrev died of a heart attack in his home in Plovdiv in 2015 at the age of 35.

Major results

Year	Venue	Weight	Snatch (kg)				Clean & Jerk (kg)				Total	Rank
			1	2	3	Rank	1	2	3	Rank
Represented  Bulgaria
Olympic Games
2004	Athens, Greece	94 kg	180	185	187.5	–	217.5	220	225	–	407.5
World Championships
2001	Antalya, Turkey	85 kg	165	170	175		195	207.5	212.5	4	382.5
2002	Warsaw, Poland	94 kg	175	175	177.5		212.5	220	220		387.5
2003	Vancouver, Canada	94 kg	180	185	187.5		220	220	222.5		405
2005	Doha, Qatar	94 kg	176	176	180	4	210	215	218		398
2006	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	94 kg	170	170	170	–	–	–	–	–	-	–
European Championships
2001	Trencin, Slovakia	85 kg	162.5	167.5	170		200	202.5	202.5	–	–	–
2002	Antalya, Turkey	94 kg	175	180	182.5		210	215	217.5		397.5
2003	Loutraki, Greece	94 kg	175	180	182.5		215	217.50	222.5		405
2004	Kiev, Ukraine	94 kg	180	182.5	185		215	217.5	–		402.5
World Junior Weightlifting Championships
1998	Sofia, Bulgaria	85 kg	145	150	152.5	4	180	185	185	9	332.5	5
2000	Prague, Czech Republic	85 kg	150	157.5	160	4	192.5	197.5	200		357.5
European Youth Weightlifting Championship
1996	Burgas, Bulgaria	70 kg	110	115	117.5		130	135	137.5	4	255

References

1. Profile: "Milen Dobrev" Archived February 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine– databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on December 31, 2007)
2. "Olympic Games Medallists – Weightlifting" – (Retrieved on December 31, 2007)
3. "Milen Dobrev: Olympic champion weightlifter dies, aged 35". BBC. March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.

External links

• Milen Dobrev at IAT Database Weightlifting

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• 1980 births
• Bulgarian male weightlifters
• Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Olympic gold medalists for Bulgaria
• 2015 deaths
• Olympic medalists in weightlifting
• Sportspeople from Plovdiv
• Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Goodwill Games medalists in weightlifting
• European Weightlifting Championships medalists
• World Weightlifting Championships medalists
• Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games
• 20th-century Bulgarian people
• 21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen
• Bulgarian Olympic medalist stubs
• Bulgarian weightlifting biography stubs