Nikolay Petkov Bukhalov ' onMouseout='HidePop("5951")' href="/topics/Karlovo">Karlovo

Karlovo

Karlovo is a picturesque and a historically important town in central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Stryama at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains...

) is Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

's most successful ever sprint canoer

Canoe racing

This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....

. He competed mostly in the Canadian canoe

Sprint canoe

A sprint canoe is a special type of canoe used in the sport of flatwater canoe racing.A one-person sprint canoe is 5.20 metres long; a traveling canoe of a similar length would be suitable for 2 to 3 people with gear...

 C-1 event though he did win world championship medals in the C-4 events.

Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won three medals, including double gold at Barcelona in 1992

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

. In addition, he won thirteen medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with five golds (C-1 200 m: 1994

1994 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1994 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mexico City, Mexico for the second time at neighboring Xochimilco. The Mexican city had hosted the event previously in 1974 at the same venue that hosted the canoeing and rowing competitions for the 1968 Summer Olympics.The men's...

, 1995

1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1995 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, Germany for the third time. The German city had hosted the event previously in 1979 and 1987 when it was part of West Germany....

; C-1 500 m: 1993

1993 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1993 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Copenhagen, Denmark for the third time. The Danish city had hosted the event previously in 1950 and 1970....

, 1994, 1995), three silvers (C-1 500 m: 1991

1991 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1991 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Paris, France.The men's competition consisted of eight Canadian and nine kayak events. Five events were held for the women, all in kayak...

, C-1 1000 m: 1991, 1994), and five bronzes (C-1 500 m: 1986

1986 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1986 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the Île Notre-Dame. This is also where the canoeing and rowing competitions for the 1976 Summer Olympics took place....

, C-4 500 m: 1990

1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland on Lake Malta.The men's competition consisted of eight Canadian and nine kayak events. Five events were held for the women, all in kayak....

, C-4 1000 m: 1989

1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.The men's competition consisted of eight Canadian and nine kayak events. Five events were held for the women, all in kayak...

, 1990, 1991).

The final gold medal of his career came at the 1997 European Championships, held on his home course in Plovdiv

Plovdiv

Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...

, where he won the C-1 500 m title.

Bukhalov was a member of the Trakia club in Plovdiv and was coached by Georgi Uchkunov. He is 187 cm (6'2") tall and raced at 83 kg (183 lbs).

Nikolay Bukhalov is a distant cousin of the pole vaulter Spas Bukhalov

Spas Bukhalov

Spas Bukhalov is a Bulgarian pole vaulter.He won the 2001 Balkan Games and finished sixth at the 2007 European Indoor Championships. He also competed at the Olympic Games in 2004 as well as the World Championships in 2003 and 2007 without reaching the final.His personal best jump is 5.80 metres,...

.