He trained at the CSKA Army Sports Center in Sofia under the direction of Simeon Cenev.

At the top level, he studied the vest wrestling styles combined judo and sambo.

In 2000, at the Sydney Olympics, he lost in second round to Hüseyin Özkan of Turkey.

In 2004, he improved in the Summer Olympics in Athens and won the bronze medal where he lost in the semifinals against the Japanese judoka Masato Uchishiba.

[citation needed] at a judo club established by him in his native town Pazardzhik, called "Kodokan 2008".