Yanko Bratanov

Yanko Ivanov Bratanov (; born 10 June 1952) is a Bulgarian former track and field athlete. He won gold in the 400 metres at the 1976 European Indoor Championships and was an Olympic finalist in the 400 m hurdles in 1976 and 1980. After his athletic career he has worked as a coach in Qatar and Bahrain.

Biography

Athletic career Bratanov was born in Sliven on 10 June 1952. He took up athletics early, initially competing in the 110 m hurdles but switching to the 400 m hurdles as a youth. In 1970 he represented Bulgaria at the European Junior Championships in Colombes, but was eliminated in the first round.

Bratanov equalled the Bulgarian record in the 400 m hurdles (51.8) in 1971; in 1972, he won the Bulgarian championship for the first time and improved the national record to 51.24. He repeated as national champion in 1973 and 1974; at the 1974 European Championships in Rome he was eliminated in the semi-finals, but set a new Bulgarian record of 50.66.

At the 1976 European Indoor Championships in Munich Bratanov won gold in the men's 400 metres, setting a new Bulgarian indoor record of 47.79 in the final to defeat West Germany's defending champion Hermann Köhler. At the 1978 European Championships in Prague Bratanov was eliminated in the semi-finals, but at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow he again qualified for the Olympic final; he was the only athlete to make the 400 m hurdles final in both Montreal and Moscow. He suffered a cramp in the Moscow final and placed a clear last in 56.35. his Qatari pupils included Asian champions Samuel Francis and Femi Ogunode.