DOPING He was one of the 11 Bulgarian lifters who was withdrawn from the 2008 Beijing Olympics after testing positive for steroids, so the Federation withdrew the whole team before the games began. (usatoday.com, 27 Jun 2008)
RICHES He is one of the many Bulgarian lifters who have been lured to Azerbaijan, with the promises of top training facilities and a rumoured 1 million euros to win a Olympic gold medal. (eleikosport.se, 01 May 2011)