Boris Novachkov

Borislav Stefanov Novachkov, commonly known as Boris Novachkov, is a highly accomplished amateur wrestler, in both American folkstyle and freestyle rulesets. Boris Novachkov was particularly well known for his European style approach to wrestling, a methodology he used to earn All American Wrestler status on three occasions for the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), and an element of grappling heavily focussed in his Fanatic-Wrestling instructional: Dynamic European Takedowns. After his collegiate career, Novachkov went on to represent his home country of Bulgaria in important tournaments such as the European Championship and the Olympic Games.

Boris Novachkov Wrestling

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS

High School (USA)
The Mercury News Wrestler Of The Year (2005)
- 1st Place CIF California State Championship (2006, 2007)
- 1st Place Fargo Junior Nationals, Freestyle (2004, 2005)
- 1st Place Fargo Junior Nationals, Greco-Roman (2005)


College
NCAA D1 All-American (2010, 2011, 2012)
Cal Poly Male Athlete Of The Year (2011)
- 1st Place Pac-12 championship (2010, 2011)
- 2nd Place NCAA Championship (2011)
- 3rd Place NCAA Championship (2012)

Senior
- 2nd Place European Wrestling Championships (2017)
- 3rd Place European Wrestling Championships (2014)
- 1st Place Last Chance Olympic Qualifier (2016)
- 8th Place Summer Olympic Games (2016)

Weight:
- 133 lbs (collegiate)
- 141 lbs (collegiate)
- 65 kg (senior)

Teams:
- Fremont High School
- Cal Poly (College)

Boris Novachkov Biography

Borislav (Boris) Novachkov was born on November 29, 1989, in Radnevo a town in southern Bulgaria, belonging to the Stara Zagora Province and located in the eastern Upper Thracian Lowlands.

Wrestling appeared in Boris' life when he was nine years old. One of his play friends had joined a local club at the time and showed young Novachkov the new pair of shoes he had received after signing up. The gift captivated Boris' curiosity and led him to join as well. It is said that within one month the young Radnevo native was already a dominant figure in the club's wresting room.

It was Boris' love for the mats that drove his older brother, Filip, to join that same wrestling club. The two brothers quickly became a force in the Bulgarian youth divisions at a national level. This success of the Novachkov Brothers eventually garnered the interest of the Regional Sports Academy where they spent a few years training before the family's move to the United States.

When the Novachkov's arrived in California in 2003, young Boris weighed only 85 lbs. Although undersized, Coach Bobby Soto of Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, CA, believed the young Bulgarian was one of the most naturally gifted wrestlers he had ever come across, an admission he made to The Mercury News website on March 2007. Boris' weight, however, or lack thereof, had him missing his spot in the varsity as a freshman, due to his brother Filip taking the 103 pounds mark.

Although he missed his freshman year in the US, Boris made up for the lost time as soon as he was given a chance, conquering the California State title the following year at 103 lbs, alongside his brother who conquered the 119 lbs division.

For his senior high school season, Boris moved up three weight classes, to the 125-pound division. Many believed he lacked the strength and physicality necessary to compete there, but Novachkov quickly put those worries to rest by winning the Walsh Ironman Invitational in Ohio, widely regarded as one of the toughest tournaments in the nation.

After his time at Fremont High School Boris joined California's Cal-Poly to study biokinetics and wrestle for the university's Mustangs. Novachkov had a prosperous career there as well, though, according to a 2017 blog post by Boris himself to bulgarianmuscle.com, he felt at a breaking point after his five years of collegiate wrestling. It was only after meeting with Valentin Jordanov, president of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation, and a multiple-time world and Olympic champion that Boris regained his love for the mats.

Valentin Jordanov took Boris back to Bulgaria for a training camp and an international tournament, which re-energized the young wrestler and lit-up his passion for the sport. Novachkov went on to represent his home country on the international stage, at events such as the European and Summer Olympics.

Boris Novachkov 2-on-1 To Fireman's Carry Instructional