Ion Țăranu

Ion Taranu (born 14 March 1938, in Turnu Măgurele) is a Romanian Greco-Roman wrestler. He won the bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.[1]

Career/development

Ion Taranu began wrestling as a young person and developed into an outstanding Greco-Roman wrestler. He won the Romanian championship in the middleweight division for the first time in 1959. In 1960 he qualified for the Rome Olympics. His previous international experience consisted only of two bouts against Sweden in Bucharest, in both of which he fought Hans Antonsson and the match ended with no decision.

In Rome he surprised the wrestling world with outstanding achievements in the middleweight division, among others defeating the Turkish world champion, Kazim Ayvaz. His match against the young Lothar Metz of Rostock, representing the combined Germany, ended undecided. Taranu was forced to accept one defeat, at the hands of the experienced Dimitar Dobrev of Bulgaria. In the final accounting he was able to achieve 3rd and thus win the Bronze medal.[2][3][4][5]

Taranu also performed very well at the 1961 World Championships in Yokohama. There he again fought to an undecided verdict against Lothar Metz, but was defeated by Vassili Tsenin of the Soviet Union and had to content himself with 4th place.[6][7] He also did not win a medal at the 1962 World Championships, in Toledo, Ohio, USA, or the 1963 World Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, finishing 5th.[6][7] However, in both world championships he performed respectably and was beaten by Anatoly Kolesov of the USSR.

Taranu was extremely well prepared for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He fought in the welterweight class and was undefeated in his four matches. However, the undecided matches against Matti Laakso of Finland and Anatoly Kolesov gave him 6 penalty points to his 2 victory points, and he was eliminated, with 5th place.[6][8][9]

Taranu was very successful at the 1967 European Championships in Minsk, where he placed 2nd in the welterweight class. The rules then in force allowed this with a single victory and three undecided matches. At the World Championships the same year, in Bucharest, he achieved 3 victories and one undecided. However, a defeat at the hands of Viktor Igumenov of the USSR forced him to withdraw and he ended in 6th place.[6][7]

Taranu took part in the Olympics for the third and final time in 1968 Mexico City in. As he had four years previously, he took 5th place, with defeats of, among others, Peter Nettekoven of Dortmund and an undecided match against Franz Berger of Austria and defeats at the hands of Viktor Igumenov and the Frenchman Daniel Robin.[6][10]

Taranu retired from active participation in wrestling after the 1968 Olympics. He studied at the National Academy of Physical Education and Sport in Bucharest, where he earned a doctorate in 1971. He was subsequently a dozent and later a professor there. He was also the wrestling coach for the clubs Progresul Bucharest and Dinamo Bucharest.

International career

All Greco-Roman style. Welterweight: until 1961 up to 73 kg body weight, from 1962 up to 78 kg; middleweight, until 1961 up to 79 kg body weight, from 1962 up to 87 kg body weight.

Year Event Weight class Finish
1960 Rome Olympics Middleweight Bronze medal Defeated: Noboru Aomi, Japan, Oddvar Barlie, Norway, Kazim Ayvaz, Turkey; undecided: Boleslav Dubicki, Poland, Lothar Metz, Germany; defeated by: Dimitar Dobrev, Bulgaria[2][3][4][5]
1961 World Championships, Yokohama Middleweight 4th place Defeated: Sadao Kazama, Japan; undecided: Boleslav Dubicki, Lothar Metz; defeated by Vassili Tsenin, USSR[6][7]
1962 Ivan Poddubny Tournament, Moscow Welterweight 2nd place Below Anatoly Kolesov, USSR; above Marijan Malovic, Yugoslavia
1962 World Championships, Toledo, Ohio Welterweight 7th place Defeated: Robert Zingg, Switzerland; defeated by: Anatoly Kolesov, Rudy Williams, USA
1963 World Championships, Helsingborg Welterweight 5th place Defeated: Albert Michiels, Belgium, René Schiermeyer, France, Harald Barlie, Norway, Rudolf Vesper, GDR; defeated by: Anatoly Kolesov, Dimitar Dobrev[7]
1964 Tokyo Olympics Welterweight 5th place Defeated: Kiril Petkov, Bulgaria, Asgar Zoughian, Iran; undecided: Anatoly Kolesov, Matti Laakso, Finland[6][8][9]
1966 Balkan Games, Ljubljana Welterweight 1st place Above Milan Nenadić, Yugoslavia, Dimitrios Savvas, Greece
1966 European Championships, Essen Middleweight 9th place Defeated: Albertus Rosbag, the Netherlands, Vassilios Papoulios, Greece; defeated by: László Sillai, Hungary
1966 World Championships, Toledo, Ohio Welterweight 6th place Defeated: Daniel Vernik, Argentina; undecided: Branislav Simić, Yugoslavia, Jean-Marie Chardonnes, Switzerland; defeated by: Valentin Olenik, USSR[6][7]
1967 European Championships, Minsk Welterweight 2nd place Defeated: Jimmy Martinetti, Switzerland; undecided: Franz Berger, Austria, Sirri Acar, Turkey, Georgi Vershinin, USSR[6][7]
1967 World Championships, Bucharest Welterweight 6th place Defeated: Marian Czardybon, Poland, Johann Karigl, Austria, Antal Rizmayer, Hungary; undecided: Bobe Dorosiev, Bulgaria; defeated by: Viktor Igumenov, USSR
1968 Tournament in Klippan, Sweden Welterweight 3rd place Below Harald Barlie, Adam Ostrowski, Poland
1968 European Championships in Västerås Welterweight 15th place Undecided: Franz Berger; defeated by: Milan Nenadić, Jan Karström, Sweden
1968 Mexico City Olympics Welterweight 5th place Defeated: Brian Heffel, Canada, Peter Nettekoven, West Germany; undecided: Franz Berger; defeated by: Viktor Igumenov, Daniel Robin, France[6][10]

References

Sources

External links

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