Bulgaria at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Bulgaria competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. Bulgaria made their official debut at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Bulgarian athletes had appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympics since 1924, except for three occasions: the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, and the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles because of Bulgaria's actions in World War II, the worldwide Great Depression and the Soviet boycott, respectively.

Bulgaria at the
2016 Summer Olympics
IOC codeBUL
NOCBulgarian Olympic Committee
Websitewww.bgolympic.org (in Bulgarian and English)
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors51 in 14 sports
Flag bearers Ivet Lalova (opening)[1]
Mihaela Maevska (closing)
Medals
Ranked 65th
Gold
0
Silver
1
Bronze
2
Total
3
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)

The Bulgarian Olympic Committee fielded 51 athletes, 29 men and 22 women, across 14 sports at the Games.[2][3] It was the nation's smallest delegation sent to the Olympics since 1956, due to the absence of the men's volleyball squad and the ban of 11 weightlifters over a widespread doping offense.[4][5] Track and field and wrestling accounted for the largest number of athletes on the Bulgarian squad with 11 entries, nearly half of the nation's full roster size. There was only a single competitor each in road cycling, fencing, and modern pentathlon (the country's return to the sport at the Olympic Games after 16 years).

Sixteen Bulgarian athletes competed at London 2012, including four members of the rhythmic gymnastics squad (led by Mihaela Maevska-Velichkova, Albanian-born Elis Guri in Greco-Roman wrestling, pistol shooter and 2015 European Games silver medalist Antoaneta Boneva, and the country's fastest sprinter and two-time European champion Ivet Lalova-Collio in both the women's 100 and 200 metres). Heading to her fourth straight Olympics as the most experienced competitor, Lalova-Collio was selected by the committee to carry the Bulgarian flag at the opening ceremony, the second time by a female in the nation's Summer Olympic history.[1]

Bulgaria returned home from Rio de Janeiro with only three medals (one silver and two bronze), marking a slight improvement from the nation's overall tally at the previous Games (not taking into account subsequent changes to the medal tallies for the 2012 Games due to doping violations).[6] All of Bulgaria's medalists were women for the first time in history; a silver to high jumper Mirela Demireva, and a bronze each to the rhythmic gymnastics group in the group all-around and freestyle wrestler Elitsa Yankova in the women's 48 kg.[7][8]

Medalists

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Medal Name Sport Event Date
  Silver Mirela Demireva Athletics Women's high jump 20 August
  Bronze Elitsa Yankova Wrestling Women's freestyle 48 kg 17 August
  Bronze Reneta Kamberova
Lyubomira Kazanova
Mihaela Maevska-Velichkova
Tsvetelina Naydenova
Hristiana Todorova
Gymnastics Women's rhythmic group all-around 21 August

Competitors

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Athletics

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Bulgarian athletes achieved qualifying standards in the following athletics events (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event):[9][10]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round
Track & road events
Athlete Event Heat Quarterfinal Semifinal Final
Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank Result Rank
Mitko Tsenov Men's 3000 m steeplechase 8:54.79 14 Did not advance
Silvia Danekova Women's 3000 m steeplechase DNS Did not advance
Ivet Lalova Women's 100 m Bye 11.35 3 Q DNS Did not advance
Women's 200 m 22.61 1 Q 22.42 2 Q 22.69 8
Militsa Mircheva Women's marathon 2:51:06 108
Field events
Men
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Rumen Dimitrov Triple jump 16.36 26 Did not advance
Georgi Ivanov Shot put 19.49 25 Did not advance
Tihomir Ivanov High jump 2.29 1 Q 2.29 10
Georgi Tsonov Triple jump 15.20 39 Did not advance
Women
Athlete Event Qualification Final
Distance Position Distance Position
Mirela Demireva High jump 1.94 9 Q 1.97  
Radoslava Mavrodieva Shot put 17.20 21 Did not advance
Gabriela Petrova Triple jump 13.92 22 Did not advance

Badminton

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Bulgaria qualified three badminton players for each of the following events into the Olympic tournament. Linda Zechiri was selected among the top 34 individual shuttlers in the women's singles, while sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva secured the women's doubles spot by virtue of their top 16 finish in the BWF World Rankings as of 5 May 2016.[11]

Athlete Event Group Stage Elimination Quarterfinal Semifinal Final / BM
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank
Linda Zechiri Women's singles   Gilmour (GBR)
W (12–21, 21–17, 21–16)
  Jaquet (SUI)
W (21–17, 21–15)
1 Q   Sung J-h (KOR)
L (15–21, 12–21)
Did not advance
Gabriela Stoeva
Stefani Stoeva
Women's doubles   Tang Yt /
Yu Y (CHN)
L (14–21, 11–21)
  Chang Y-n /
Lee S-h (KOR)
L (22–24, 15–21)
  Goliszewski /
Nelte (GER)
W (21–14, 21-19)
3 Did not advance

Boxing

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Bulgaria entered three boxers to compete in each of the following weight classes into the Olympic boxing tournament. Stanimira Petrova had claimed her Olympic spot with a semifinal victory at the 2016 European Qualification Tournament in Samsun, Turkey, while Daniel Asenov and Simeon Chamov secured additional places on the Bulgarian roster at the 2016 AIBA World Qualifying Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan.[12][13]

Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Daniel Asenov Men's flyweight   Martínez (ARG)
W 2–1
  Flissi (ALG)
L 0–3
Did not advance
Simeon Chamov Men's welterweight   Şipal (TUR)
W 3–0
  Adi (THA)
L 0–3
Did not advance
Stanimira Petrova Women's flyweight   Kob (UKR)
L 1–2
Did not advance

Canoeing

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Sprint

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Bulgaria qualified a single boat in the men's K-1 1000 m for the Games through the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.[14] Meanwhile, one additional boat has been awarded to the Bulgarian squad in men's C-1 1000 m by virtue of a top two national finish at the 2016 European Qualification Regatta in Duisburg, Germany.[15]

Athlete Event Heats Semifinals Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Miroslav Kirchev Men's K-1 1000 m 3:39.363 6 Did not advance
Angel Kodinov Men's C-1 200 m 42.694 4 Q 42.925 7 Did not advance
Men's C-1 1000 m 4:27.904 5 Q 4:30.574 6 FB 4:10.102 14

Qualification Legend: FA = Qualify to final (medal); FB = Qualify to final B (non-medal)

Cycling

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Road

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Bulgaria qualified one rider in the men's Olympic road race by virtue of his top 200 individual ranking in the 2015 UCI Europe Tour.[16]

Athlete Event Time Rank
Stefan Hristov Men's road race Did not finish

Fencing

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Bulgaria entered one fencer into the Olympic competition. Pancho Paskov had claimed his Olympic spot in the men's sabre by finishing among the top four individuals at the European Zonal Qualifier in Prague, Czech Republic.

Athlete Event Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Final / BM
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank
Pancho Paskov Men's sabre   Yakimenko (RUS)
W 15–14
  Szabo (GER)
L 6–15
Did not advance

Gymnastics

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Rhythmic

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Bulgaria qualified a squad of rhythmic gymnasts for the individual and group all-around by finishing in the top 15 (for individual) and top 10 (for group) at the 2015 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.[17]

Athlete Event Qualification Final
Hoop Ball Clubs Ribbon Total Rank Hoop Ball Clubs Ribbon Total Rank
Neviana Vladinova Individual 17.666 17.700 17.800 17.800 70.966 6 Q 17.883 17.750 18.050 17.050 70.733 7
Athlete Event Qualification Final
5 ribbons 3 clubs
2 hoops
Total Rank 5 ribbons 3 clubs
2 hoops
Total Rank
Reneta Kamberova
Lyubomira Kazanova
Mihaela Maevska-Velichkova
Tsvetelina Naydenova
Hristiana Todorova
Team 17.566 16.616 34.182 7 Q 17.700 18.066 35.766  

Judo

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Bulgaria qualified two judokas for each of the following weight classes at the Games. Ivaylo Ivanov was ranked among the top 22 eligible judokas for men in the IJF World Ranking List of 30 May 2016, while Yanislav Gerchev at men's extra-lightweight (60 kg) earned a continental quota spot from the European region as Bulgaria's top-ranked judoka outside of direct qualifying position.[18][19]

Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Repechage Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Yanislav Gerchev Men's −60 kg Bye   Tsai M-y (TPE)
W 110–000
  Papinashvili (GEO)
L 000–100
Did not advance
Ivaylo Ivanov Men's −81 kg Bye   de Wit (NED)
W 110–000
  Lee S-s (KOR)
W 010–000
  Stevens (USA)
L 000–100
Did not advance   Marconcini (ITA)
L 000–100
Did not advance 7

Modern pentathlon

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Bulgaria received an invitation from UIPM to send Dimitar Krastanov in the men's modern pentathlon to the Olympics, as one of the next highest-ranked eligible individuals, not yet qualified, at the 2015 European Championships, signifying the nation's return to the sport for the first time since 2000.[20]

Athlete Event Fencing
(épée one touch)
Swimming
(200 m freestyle)
Riding
(show jumping)
Combined: shooting/running
(10 m air pistol)/(3200 m)
Total points Final rank
RR BR Rank MP points Time Rank MP points Penalties Rank MP points Time Rank MP Points
Dimitar Krastanov Men's 19–16 1 14 214 2:04.96 19 326 EL 33 0 11:02.95 2 638 1179 33

Rowing

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Bulgaria qualified one boat in the men's double sculls for the Olympics at the 2015 FISA World Championships in Lac d'Aiguebelette, France.

Athlete Event Heats Repechage Semifinals Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Georgi Bozhilov
Kristian Vasilev
Men's double sculls 6:44:31 4 R 6:20.56 2 SA/B 6:47.00 6 FB 7:00.85 9

Qualification Legend: FA=Final A (medal); FB=Final B (non-medal); FC=Final C (non-medal); FD=Final D (non-medal); FE=Final E (non-medal); FF=Final F (non-medal); SA/B=Semifinals A/B; SC/D=Semifinals C/D; SE/F=Semifinals E/F; QF=Quarterfinals; R=Repechage

Shooting

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Bulgarian shooters achieved quota places for the following events by virtue of their best finishes at the 2014 and 2015 ISSF World Championships, the 2015 ISSF World Cup series, and European Championships or Games, as long as they obtained a minimum qualifying score (MQS) by 31 March 2016.[21]

Athlete Event Qualification Semifinal Final
Points Rank Points Rank Points Rank
Samuil Donkov Men's 10 m air pistol 572 34 Did not advance
Men's 50 m pistol 541 32 Did not advance
Anton Rizov Men's 10 m air rifle 617.3 42 Did not advance
Men's 50 m rifle prone 621.2 27 Did not advance
Men's 50 m rifle 3 positions 1161 35 Did not advance
Antoaneta Boneva Women's 10 m air pistol 371 41 Did not advance
Women's 25 m pistol 583 5 Q 11 8 Did not advance

Qualification Legend: Q = Qualify for the next round; q = Qualify for the bronze medal (shotgun)

Swimming

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Bulgarian swimmers achieved qualifying standards in the following events (up to a maximum of 2 swimmers in each event at the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT), and potentially 1 at the Olympic Selection Time (OST)):[22][23]

Athlete Event Heat Semifinal Final
Time Rank Time Rank Time Rank
Ventsislav Aydarski Men's 10 km open water 1:53:16.1 15
Aleksandar Nikolov Men's 100 m freestyle 50.08 41 Did not advance
Nina Rangelova Women's 100 m freestyle 55.71 31 Did not advance
Women's 200 m freestyle 1:58.57 22 Did not advance

Tennis

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Bulgaria entered two tennis players into the Olympic tournament. London 2012 Olympian Grigor Dimitrov (world no. 36) qualified directly for the men's singles as one of the top 56 eligible players based on the ATP World Rankings, while Tsvetana Pironkova (world no. 71) had claimed one of six ITF Olympic women's singles places, as Bulgaria's top-ranked tennis player outside of direct qualifying position in the WTA World Rankings as of 6 June 2016.[24][25]

Athlete Event Round of 64 Round of 32 Round of 16 Quarterfinals Semifinals Final / BM
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Opposition
Score
Rank
Grigor Dimitrov Men's singles   Čilić (CRO)
L 1–6, 4–6
Did not advance
Tsvetana Pironkova Women's singles   Siegemund (GER)
0L 6–1, 4–6, 2–6
Did not advance

Wrestling

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Bulgaria qualified a total of eleven wrestlers for each the following weight classes into the Olympic competition. Three Olympic berths were awarded to Bulgarian wrestlers, who finished among the top six at the 2015 World Championships, while five more had booked Olympic spots with their semifinal triumphs at the 2016 European Qualification Tournament.[26][27]

Three further wrestlers had claimed the remaining Olympic slots to round out the Bulgarian roster at the initial meet of the World Qualification Tournament in Ulaanbaatar.

On 11 May 2016, United World Wrestling awarded an additional Olympic license to Bulgaria in men's freestyle 125 kg, as a response to the doping violations for both the Belarusian and Ukrainian wrestler at the European Qualification Tournament.[28]

Key:

  • VT – Victory by Fall.
  • PP – Decision by Points – the loser with technical points.
  • PO – Decision by Points – the loser without technical points.
  • ST – Decision by points – the loser without technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
  • SP – Decision by points – the loser with technical points and a margin of victory of at least 8 (Greco-Roman) or 10 (freestyle) points.
Men's freestyle
Athlete Event Qualification Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Repechage 1 Repechage 2 Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Vladimir Dubov −57 kg Bye   Dennis (USA)
W 4–0 ST
  Guidea (ROU)
W 5–0 VT
  Khinchegashvili (GEO)
L 1–3 PP
Bye   Aliyev (AZE)
L 1–3 PP
5
Borislav Novachkov −65 kg   Nasiri (IRI)
W 3–1 PP
  Gómez (PUR)
L 1–3 PP
Did not advance 8
Georgi Ivanov −74 kg Bye   Makarashvili (GEO)
L 1–3 PP
Did not advance 12
Mihail Ganev −86 kg   Orgodol (MGL)
W 5–0 VT
  Karimi (IRI)
L 1–3 PP
Did not advance 8
Dimitar Kumchev −125 kg   Petriashvili (GEO)
L 0–4 ST
Did not advance 18
Men's Greco-Roman
Athlete Event Qualification Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Repechage 1 Repechage 2 Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Daniel Aleksandrov −75 kg   Julfalakyan (ARM)
W 3–1 PP
  Bácsi (HUN)
L 0–4 ST
Did not advance 11
Nikolay Bayryakov −85 kg Bye   Boudjemline (ALG)
W 3–0 PO
  Beleniuk (UKR)
L 1–4 SP
Did not advance Bye   Othman (EGY)
W 3–1 PP
  Hamzatau (BLR)
L 1–3 PP
5
Elis Guri −98 kg   Haloui (ALG)
W 4–0 ST
  Nadareishvili (GEO)
W 3–1 PP
  Schön (SWE)
L 0–4 ST
Did not advance 7
Women's freestyle
Athlete Event Qualification Round of 16 Quarterfinal Semifinal Repechage 1 Repechage 2 Final / BM
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Opposition
Result
Rank
Elitsa Yankova −48 kg   Muambo (CMR)
W 4–0 ST
  Dadasheva (RUS)
W 3–1 PP
  Castillo (COL)
W 3–1 PP
  Stadnik (AZE)
L 0–5 VT
Bye   Bermudez (ARG)
W 3–1 PP
 
Mimi Hristova −58 kg   Pürevdorj (MGL)
L 1–3 PP
Did not advance 15
Taybe Yusein −63 kg Bye   Pirozhkova (USA)
L 1–3 PP
Did not advance 13

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Ивет Лалова ще е българският знаменосец в Рио" [Ivet Lalova will be Bulgaria's flag bearer in Rio] (in Bulgarian). Bulgaria: Dnevnik. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  2. ^ "51 спортисти български спортисти до този момент с квоти за Рио" [51 Bulgarian athletes are allowed to compete in Rio] (in Bulgarian). Sportal.bg. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  3. ^ "България праща 51 спортисти в Рио с 55 души делегация" [Bulgaria sent 51 athletes to Rio, along with 55 others in the delegation] (in Bulgarian). Bulgaria: Media Pool. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Bulgaria Olympic ban confirmed by Court of Arbitration for Sport". BBC Sport. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Bulgaria's weightlifters get Rio 2016 ban over widespread doping". The Guardian. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Bulgaria 65th in Rio Olympics medal standings". Bulgarian National Radio. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Bulgaria with Bronze Medal after Impressive Performance in Rio Rhythmic Gymnastics". Novinite. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Mirela Demireva Brings Home Silver Medal for Bulgaria in Rio Olympics". Novinite. 21 August 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  9. ^ "iaaf.org – Top Lists". IAAF. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  10. ^ "IAAF Games of the XXX Olympiad – Rio 2016 Entry Standards" (PDF). IAAF. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  11. ^ Sukumar, Dev (5 May 2016). "Provisional List of Olympic Qualifiers Published". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Azerbaijan's Yana Alekseevna delivers an inspired performance as Europe's top boxers book places at Rio 2016". AIBA. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  13. ^ "World Olympic Qualifier Quarter-Finals see Haiti, Iraq, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan among 23 nations to confirm quota places at Rio 2016". AIBA. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  14. ^ "Olympic Canoe Sprint Qualification spots confirmed". International Canoe Federation. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Euro Olympic quotas secured". International Canoe Federation. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  16. ^ "UCI announces men's road Olympic quotas". Cyclingnews.com. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Rhythmic Gymnastics: 2016 Olympic Games, 2016 Olympic Test Event and The World Games 2017 qualifiers confirmed". FIG. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  18. ^ "IJF Officially Announces Qualified Athletes for Rio 2016 Olympic Games". International Judo Federation. 23 June 2016. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  19. ^ "Джудото ни поиска служебна квота за Рио!" [We are requesting for an additional quota in judo for Rio] (in Bulgarian). Topsport.bg. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  20. ^ "Българин с квота за модерния петобой" [Bulgaria earns quota in modern pentathlon] (in Bulgarian). Monitor.bg. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  21. ^ "Quota Places by Nation and Number". www.issf-sports.org/. ISSF. 30 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  22. ^ "Swimming World Rankings". FINA. Archived from the original on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  23. ^ "Rio 2016 – FINA Swimming Qualification System" (PDF). Rio 2016. FINA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  24. ^ "ITF announces entries for Rio 2016 Olympics". International Tennis Federation. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  25. ^ "Пиронкова и Григор Димитров ще участват в олимпийските игри в Рио" [Pironkova and Grigor Dimitrov will compete at the Rio Olympics] (in Bulgarian). Bulgaria: Dnevnik. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  26. ^ "Wrestling for Rio 2016". United World Wrestling. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  27. ^ "Реалната цел на България в Лас Вегас са 3 медала и 5 квоти за Рио 2016" [Bulgaria aims to earn at least three medals in Las Vegas and five quotas for Rio 2016] (in Bulgarian). Sportal.bg. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  28. ^ "Adjustments to Olympic Qualifiers Announced". United World Wrestling. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
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