Petar Hristov Merkov (Bulgarian: Петър Христов Мерков, born November 3, 1976 in Plovdiv) is a Bulgarian flatwater canoer who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he who won two silver medals at Sydney in 2000 (K-1 500 m, K-1 1000 m). Prior to those games, Merkov was subjected to controversey for failing a doping test in Bulgaria which led to over a dozen canoeing nations petitioning the International Canoe Federation for an investigation only to have Bulgarian officials stonewall on his behalf to compete. He would later refuse to attend the post-race press conference of K-1 1000 m in wake of those allegations.
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's flatwater canoeing | ||
 |
2000 Sydney | K-1 500 m |
|
2000 Sydney | K-1 1000 m |
Merkov was K-1 500 m European champion in 1999.
At the World Championships, Merkov won silver medals in the K-1 500 m event in 1999 and 2002. In 2002, he also won a bronze in K-4 1000 m.
Merkov is 188 cm (6'2") tall and weighs 95 kg (209 lbs). He is currently a member of the Levski Canoe/Kayak Club club in Sofia.
References
- Sports-reference.com profile
- Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition, London: Aurum Press Limited. pp. 470, 473.
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