The freestyle wrestler’s father also contracted COVID-19 but recovered shortly thereafter.
A Bulgarian wrestler champion lost his battle with the coronavirus last week.
Nikolay Shterev, 33, passed away at the Military Medical Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria after arriving at the hospital in poor condition with severe breathing issues. The athlete had reportedly attempted to self-medicate at home prior to deciding on hospitalization. He was placed on a ventilator but it did not help his condition.
Shterev is a freestyle wrestler who won the prestigious Dan Kolov tournament in 2011 and was a member of the Bulgarian national wrestling team. His father, Semyon Shterev, was also a renowned wrestler who medaled at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, as well as at the World Championships.
Semyon Shterev was also diagnosed with COVID-19 but recovered without any further complications. His son was not as fortunate.
Bulgaria’s Prime Minisyer, Boyko Borisov, expressed his condolences to the Shterev family.
Bulgaria has more than 10,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 350 deaths.