Georgi Ivanov (wrestler, born 2002)

Georgi Ivanov (Bulgarian: Георги Иванов; born 17 July 2002) is a Bulgarian freestyle wrestler.^[1]

Georgi Ivanov

Personal information
Native name	Георги Иванов
Full name	Georgi Lyubomirov Ivanov
Born	(2002-07-17) 17 July 2002 (age 23) Kardzhali, Bulgaria
Height	180 cm (5.9 ft; 71 in)
Weight	125 kg (276 lb; 19.7 st)
Sport
Country	Bulgaria
Sport	Amateur wrestling
Weight class	125 kg
Event	Freestyle
Club	Dimitrovgrad Wrestling Club
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing  Bulgaria Dan Kolov - Nikola Petrov Tournament 2024 Sofia 125 kg 2025 Varna 125 kg Yasar Dogu Tournament 2025 Kocaeli 125 kg Grand Prix 2022 Strumica 125 kg 2023 Bucharest 125 kg 2023 Erevan 125 kg European U23 Championships 2023 Bucharest 125 kg 2025 Tirana 125 kg European U20 Championships 2022 Rome 125 kg European U17 Championships 2019 Faenza 110 kg

Career

Georgi Ivanov began gaining international recognition at the cadet level, winning the silver medal in the 110 kg category at the 2019 European Cadets Wrestling Championships held in Faenza, Italy.^[2]

In 2022, he earned a bronze medal at the European U20 Championships in Rome, competing in the 125 kg freestyle category.^[3] The same year, he represented Bulgaria at the 2022 U20 World Wrestling Championships in Sofia, where he defeated Japan’s Ryusei Fujita in the qualification round but lost to Nicholas Feldman of the United States in the quarter-finals. He secured another bronze medal through repechage.^[4]

Ivanov transitioned successfully to the U23 level, capturing the gold medal at the 2023 European U23 Wrestling Championships held in Bucharest. He achieved dominant wins over Azamat Khosonov (Russia), Efe Anıl (Turkey), and Volodymyr Kochanov (Ukraine) in the final by technical superiority (10–0).^[5]

Later in 2023, he competed at the Senior European Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, where he defeated Alexandr Romanov (Moldova) in the qualification round (8–1) but lost in the quarter-finals to Daniel Ligeti (Hungary) by points (1–8), finishing in the top eight.^[6]

In 2024, Ivanov participated in the Dan Kolov & Nikola Petrov Tournament in Sofia, where he won the gold medal in the 125 kg category, further establishing himself among Bulgaria’s top heavyweights.^[7]

The following year, in 2025, he claimed silver at the same tournament held in Varna, losing in the final but outperforming many international contenders.^[8]

His most notable achievement in 2025 was at the European U23 Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Albania. He won all of his matches convincingly, including a technical fall victory over Volodymyr Kochanov in the final (11–0), securing his second continental U23 title.^[9]

Ivanov also represented Bulgaria at the 2025 Yaşar Doğu Tournament in Kocaeli, Turkey, where he won a bronze medal in the men's freestyle 125 kg category after defeating athletes from Kazakhstan and Turkey in repechage rounds.^[10]