Career
Ion Taranu began wrestling as a young person and developed into an outstanding Greco-Roman wrestler. In 1960 he qualified for the Rome Olympics. His previous international experience consisted only of two bouts against Sweden in Bucharest, in both of which he fought Hans Antonsson and the match ended with no decision.
His match against the young Lothar Metz of Rostock, representing the combined Germany, ended undecided.
Taranu was forced to accept one defeat, at the hands of the experienced Dimitar Dobrev of Bulgaria. Taranu also performed very well at the 1961 World Championships in Yokohama.
There he again fought to an undecided verdict against Lothar Metz, but was defeated by Vassili Tsenin of the Soviet Union and had to content himself with 4th place. However, in both world championships he performed respectably and was beaten by Anatoly Kolesov of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics. Taranu was extremely well prepared for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
He fought in the welterweight class and was undefeated in his four matches.
However, the undecided matches against Matti Laakso of Finland and Anatoly Kolesov gave him 6 penalty points to his 2 victory points, and he was eliminated, with 5th place. Taranu was very successful at the 1967 European Championships in Minsk, where he placed 2nd in the welterweight class. The rules then in force allowed this with a single victory and three undecided matches.
However, a defeat at the hands of Viktor Igumenov of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics forced him to withdraw and he ended in 6th place.
Taranu took part in the Olympics for the third and final time in 1968 Mexico City in. As he had four years previously, he took 5th place, with defeats of, among others, Peter Nettekoven of Dortmund and an undecided match against Franz Berger of Austria and defeats at the hands of Viktor Igumenov and the Frenchman Daniel Robin.
Taranu retired from active participation in wrestling after the 1968 Olympics. He studied at the National Academy of Physical Education and Sport in Bucharest, where he earned a doctorate in 1971.
He was subsequently a dozent and later a professor there.
He was also the wrestling coach for the clubs Progresul Bucharest and Dinamo Bucharest. All Greco-Roman style. Welterweight: until 1961 up to 73 kg body weight, from 1962 up to 78 kg.
Middleweight, until 1961 up to 79 kg body weight, from 1962 up to 87 kg body weight.