Milen Dobrev

Milen Dobrev (Bulgarian: Милен Добрев, February 22, 1980 — March 21, 2015) was a Bulgarian weightlifter. He became Olympic champion in 2004 in the middle heavyweight class. That same year, he won the European Championship in Kiev. Dobrev died of a heart attack in his home in Plovdiv in 2015. He is the first Bulgarian to win an Olympic title in weightlifting as a member of a team from Plovdiv (Maritsa-Olimp). After winning the 2001 Brisbane Goodwill Games in Australia, he established himself as the elite of weightlifters. His world title was from Vancouver, Canada, in 2003. He also became European champion in 2003 in Loutraki, Greece, and in 2004 in Kiev, Ukraine.

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(s)	–94 kg
Club	Olimp, Plovdiv
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	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 Kiev –94 kg 2002 Antalya –94 kg Goodwill Games 2001 Brisbane –85 kg Junior World Championships 2000 Prague –85 kg European youth Championships 1996 Burgas –70 kg

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. 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. He became part of the extended men’s national team on 11.02.2001 and made his debut at the European Men’s Championship in Trencin, Slovakia. In 2001 he also made a debut at the 2001 World Championship in Antalya, Turkey, winning his first 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. The same year, Dobrev also became second at the World Championship in Warsaw, Poland.

Milen Dobrev has been an honorary citizen of Plovdiv since 2004. On 20.04.2005 at a ceremony in the Greek Embassy in Sofia, Bulgaria, he was also named honorary citizen of Athens, Greece.[1][2][3]