Philip Milanov

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image = 09209 Philip Milanov.JPG

| image_size =

| caption = Philip Milanov during 2015 European Team Championships First League

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|7|6|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bruges, Belgium

| height = 1,98 m

| weight = 120 kg

| country = {{BEL}}

| sport = Athletics

| event = Discus throw

| coach = Emil Milanov

| pb = Discus throw: 67.26 (2016)

| medaltemplates =

| updated = 7 May 2016

}}

Philip Milanov (born 6 July 1991) is a Belgian discus thrower. He is a fourteen-time Belgian champion and the 2015 World University Games champion in men's discus throw. In 2015, he became the first ever Belgian athlete, male or female, to win a gold or silver medal at a World Athletics Championships by taking silver at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing, China.{{cite news |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/en/2015/08/29/belgium_pockets_firstsilvermedal-1-2427046/ |title=Belgium pockets first silver medal |publisher=VRT NWS |date=29 August 2015 |access-date=23 October 2024}}

Biography

Milanov was born in Bruges, Belgium on 6 July 1991. His father and coach, Emil Milanov, was himself a discus thrower in his native Bulgaria before moving to Belgium in 1989.{{cite web |url=http://brussels.diamondleague.com/nieuws/news/news/philip-milanov-bruggeling-met-bulgaarse-roots/ |title=Philip Milanov, Bruggeling met Bulgaarse roots... |language=nl |access-date=25 July 2015 |date=24 June 2014 |publisher=diamondleague.com}} Philip Milanov won the Belgian junior championship in 2010 with a throw of 54.28 m (1.75 kg), ranking him fourth on the Belgian all-time junior list.{{cite news |url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/h33108om_18 |title=Philip Milanov gaat weg bij OB Brugge |language=nl |newspaper=Het Nieuwsblad |date=19 October 2010 |access-date=25 July 2015}} In 2011 he represented Belgium at the European Team Championships First League, placing ninth with 54.88 m; at that summer's Belgian championships he was second to Maarten Persoon of the Netherlands but the top Belgian, winning his first national senior title. He repeated as Belgian champion in 2012.{{tilastopaja|id=124136}}{{cite web |url=http://www.val.be/?mnuid=888 |title=Milanov Philip |publisher=Vlaamse Atletiekliga |language=nl |access-date=25 July 2015}}

Milanov broke 60 metres for the first time in 2013, setting a Belgian under-23 record of 61.81 m in Vilvoorde and placing fifth at the European U23 Championships in Tampere.{{cite news |url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20131029_00815981 |title=Discuswerper Philip Milanov naar VAC |language=nl |newspaper=Het Nieuwsblad |date=29 October 2013 |access-date=25 July 2015}} He continued to improve in 2014, breaking Jo Van Daele's old Belgian record (64.24 m) by eight centimetres in Lille on 23 February and improving the record further to 66.02 m at the FBK Games in Hengelo on 8 June; he was Belgian champion for the fourth consecutive year (60.57 m) and made his debut in the IAAF Diamond League. Milanov was eliminated in the qualification round at the 2014 European Championships in Zürich; Track & Field News ranked him ninth in the world that year, his first top 10 ranking.{{cite magazine |url=http://trackandfieldnews.com/images/stories/Rankings/19-mdtrank.pdf |title=World Rankings — Men's Discus |magazine=Track & Field News |access-date=25 July 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Milanov broke his own Belgian record again in Kessel-Lo on 25 April 2015, throwing 66.43 m and meeting the qualification standard for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.{{cite news |url=http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20150425_01648686 |title=Discuswerper Philip Milanov verbetert eigen BR en heeft WK- en OS-limiet beet |language=nl |date=25 April 2015 |access-date=25 July 2015 |newspaper=De Standaard}} In July 2015 he won gold with 64.15 m at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea.{{cite news |url=http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20150711_01772912 |title=Universiade Gwangju: Discuswerper Philip Milanov verovert goud |language=nl |date=11 July 2015 |access-date=25 July 2015 |newspaper=De Standaard}} He unexpectedly scored his first Diamond League victory two weeks later at the London Grand Prix; in rainy conditions, he threw 65.14 m to defeat a field that included Diamond Race leader Piotr Małachowski of Poland.{{cite web |url=http://www.iaaf.org/news/report/london-diamond-league-2015-hughes |title=Hughes provides London's sparkle – IAAF Diamond League |publisher=IAAF |date=24 July 2015 |author=Brown, Matthew |access-date=25 July 2015}}{{cite news |url=http://www.ohtuleht.ee/687059/kupper-jai-teemantliigal-kaheksandaks-voitis-belgia-ullatusmees |title=Kupper jäi Teemantliigal kaheksandaks, võitis Belgia üllatusmees |language=et |newspaper=Õhtuleht |date=24 July 2015 |access-date=25 July 2015}} In August 2015 he broke again his Belgian record and met the qualification standard for the 2016 Olympic Games.{{cite news |url=http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cnt/dmf20150808_01810368 |title=Discuswerper Milanov verbetert Belgisch record en pakt olympisch ticket|language=nl |date=8 August 2015 |access-date=8 August 2015 |newspaper=Het Nieuwsblad}} On 29 August 2015 at the World Championships in Beijing, where he took silver, Milanov, improved his national record to 66.90 m.[http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20150829_01839828 Zilver voor Belgische discuswerper Philip Milanov]

Milanov started 2016 well, taking second place in the Doha Diamond League meeting in May, bettering his national record with a throw of 67.26 m.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/news/report/idl-doha-brooks-morris |title=Brooks upsets the favourites in Doha – IAAF Diamond League |publisher=IAAF |date=6 May 2016 |author=Minshull, Phil |access-date=23 October 2024}} In July, he won a silver medal at the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, The Netherlands with a throw of 65.71 m, beaten only by the world discus champion Piotr Malachowski.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/olympic-games/paris24/news/article/trrt |title=Stefanidi, Can and Khaladovich impress on fourth day of European Championships |publisher=IAAF |date=9 July 2016 |author=Byrne, Thomas |access-date=23 October 2024}} Milanov entered the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with high hopes, coming in to the Olympics as 3rd best performer of the season. But the Olympics ended in disappointment for him. He qualified as 12th and last athlete for the final and in the final recorded only 1 valid throw, finishing in a disappointing 9th place, with a best throw of 62.22 m., more than 5 m below his season best.{{cite web |url=https://bx1.be/depeches/jo-2016-philip-milanov-ne-sest-jamais-senti-en-forme-rio/ |title=JO 2016 – Philip Milanov ne s'est jamais senti en forme à Rio |publisher=bxl - Média de Bruxelles |date=13 August 2016 |language=french |access-date=23 October 2024 |trans-title=2016 Olympics – Philip Milanov never felt in good shape in Rio}} Rio proved to be a turning point in his career. He would never again improve on his personal best and big international competitions would end in more disappointment. In 2017, he failed to qualify for the final of the men's discus throw competition at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London ending in 14th place in the qualification round with a throw of 63.16 m.{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/news/report/report-mens-discus-throw-qualification-iaaf |title=Report: men's discus qualification – IAAF World Championships London 2017 |publisher=IAAF |date=4 August 2017 |author=Ramsak, Bob |access-date=23 October 2024}}

Milanov missed the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin, Germany due to injury.{{cite web |url=https://www.atni.be/2018/11/02/philip-milanov-bouwt-trainingen-zachtjes-aan-op/ |title=Philip Milanov bouwt trainingen zachtjes aan op |publisher=Atletieknieuws |date=2 November 2018 |language=dutch |access-date=23 October 2024 |trans-title=Philip Milanov builds up training gradually}} The 2019 World Athletics Championships, 2022 European Athletics Championships, 2022 World Athletics Championships, 2023 World Athletics Championships, 2024 European Athletics Championships, and 2024 Summer Olympics all saw Milanov eliminated in the qualification round.