Enyu Dimov VALTCHEV

Wrestling in the freestyle lightweight class his entire career, Enyu Valchev was a medal contender in every tournament in which he competed. Competing at three Olympic Games, Valchev won a full set of medals – gold in 1964, silver in 1968 and bronze in 1960. At the World Championships, Valchev won gold in 1962, silvers in 1959 and 1969 and bronze in 1967, while finishing fourth in 1965, fifth in 1966 and sixth in 1963. At the European Championships Valchev won golds in 1968 and 1969 and bronze in 1967. He also won 5 Balkan titles and 14 Bulgarian titles during his career. After finishing his sporting career, Valchev worked as a wrestling coach, serving as head coach of the Bulgarian national junior team until his retirement in 1990. Valchev was elected to the FILA International Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005.