Full name Lubomir Gueraskov Name Lubomir Geraskov Hometown Sofia | Country represented Bulgaria Nickname(s) Lubo Role Olympic athlete | |
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Born December 27, 1968 (age 55)
Sofia, Bulgaria ( 1968-12-27 ) Residence Michigan, United States. Currently coaches men's gymnastics at Branch Gymnastics in Battle Creek Michigan Discipline Men's artistic gymnastics Olympic medals Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics – Men's pommel horse | ||
Lubomir Gueraskov (Bulgarian: Любомир Герасков, born December 27, 1968) is a Bulgarian gymnast and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul where he won Olympic Gold on pommel horse.
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Early life
Lubomir Gueraskov was born on December 27, 1968 in his hometown, slightly on the outskirts of Bulgaria's capital and largest city, Sofia. Under the communist law, Lubomir was forced into strict schooling. This though, was where his gymnastics talent began to become very noticeable to many people.
As a result, he was taken into a Bulgarian Youth Sports School at a very young age. His high talent and great progress was, from then on, revealed to the rest of the nation. He became very well known for being one of the greatest gymnasts of his time. At such a young age, Lubomir had won numerous regional and national titles to his name. He was mostly dominant on the Pommel Horse, which many would say, he could not be beaten at. During his teenage years, his hometown club, Levski Sofia, recruited him to their squad, helping them win numerous championships along the way. At the same time, Lubomir was taken into the Olympic national team where most of his talent and glory would come to be recognized worldwide.
World Championships and Olympic Success
At only the age of 18, Lubomir Gueraskov would earn the bronze medal on both the pommel horse and floor exercise at the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. His climax of glory came a year later when he won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul Korea, scoring a perfect 10.00. He became the second man in Bulgarian history to win a gold medal in the sport of gymnastics along with being the youngest, at only age 19. To top off his gymnastic career, Lubomir was inducted into the Bulgarian Sports Hall of Fame, becoming a very popular men's gymnastics figure in Bulgarian sports history.
Later life
At the end of his career, Lubomir moved to the United States along with a majority of his teammates, one such as, team Captain Stoytcho Gotchev. Lubomir currently lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan with his wife, son and daughter. He is a head coach at Branch Gymnastics and has notably won the Michigan and Midwest Region 5 Coach of the Year in 2005. Outside of gymnatsics, Lubomir has hobbies such as repairing, perfecting and selling motor vehicles. He very much enjoys vacationing frequently to his home country and traveling worldwide, along with spending much time with his Bulgarian friends and family.
He received two bronze medals at the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam.