Todor Simov

Bulgarian volleyball player Todor Simov enjoyed success both domestically and internationally before becoming a noted coach. Simov began playing the sport in the 1940s and soon found a place on the national team where he won bronze at the 1949 World Championships in Praha. He followed that by winning bronze at the 1952 World Championships in Moskva and the 1955 European Championships in București. At the 1952 and 1956 World Championships he also had the honour of being named as the best setter in each tournament.

After his playing career Simov turned to coaching and led the national women’s and youth teams of Cuba from 1968 to 1971. This was followed by a short spell as the head coach of the Bulgarian men’s team, who just missed out on a medal at the 1972 München Olympics when they finished fourth. Simov then coached the Spanish women’s team from 1974 to 1978 before ending his career in Italy where he coached domestic women’s teams from 1982 to 1992.