Iliyan Chamov has joined the Arkansas Razorbacks women’s track and field program as an assistant coach, head coach Chris Johnson announced. Chamov brings a decade of experience from his previous role as an assistant coach at Missouri, where he worked with both men’s and women’s jumpers and combined events. His coaching background also includes positions at Southern Illinois at Edwardsville (2013-15) and Lindenwood University (2009-11).
“It’s exciting, it’s the best program in the country, the best program in the world,” said Chamov. “Of course, I have big shoes to fill, but that makes it more exciting. I’m very eager to start working.”
Johnson expressed confidence in Chamov’s addition to the staff: “We’re fortunate to get Iliyan, he has a plethora of experience being in the SEC while at Missouri. He’s tireless recruiter, and a really, really good coach. He’s going to help us in the vertical jumps as well as the horizontal jumps along with the multi. So, it gives the rest of the staff some relief from having to do all those things.
“He’s going to bring that knowledge and a recruiting expertise to the University of Arkansas. I think he did a fantastic job during this time at Missouri with plenty of All-Americans and conference champions. He’s going to help our program continue to fill out and be the program we want it to be, and that’s being very balanced.”
Chamov has guided athletes who have earned 57 All-America honors (first and second team), produced 14 conference champions—including seven titles in the SEC—as well as coached a NCAA champion and seven NAIA champions during his career.
In 2025, Jonathan Seremes won both NCAA Indoor triple jump and SEC Indoor titles under Chamov’s guidance, while Kristi Perez-Snyman took home the SEC Outdoor women’s high jump title. That season also saw five first-team All-America honors for athletes coached by Chamov.
“The SEC is the most competitive conference in the country and I’ve been rubbing shoulders with Arkansas the entire time I was with Missouri,” said Chamov. “We came here for a lot competitions while I was at Mizzou and I had the pleasure to experience the quality of the facilities and the quality of the team.
“I’ve known the coaches for quite a long time and they show a lot of quality on their end. That’s what makes it even more exciting, because now we’re going to be coaching together to win championships.”
Originally from Yambol, Bulgaria, Chamov graduated from University of Ruse in Bulgaria with a degree in physical therapy in 2006 before earning undergraduate and master’s degrees at Lindenwood University.
Chamov believes his international background aids him when recruiting student-athletes from abroad: “It’s very beneficial,” noted Chamov. “A lot of international athletes leave their countries, family, friends, environment, and culture just to get to an education and better opportunities to compete.
“I believe I bring a lot on the table with that because I’ve walked through that path in the past and I know exactly how they feel. I can assist them through the process and give them an opportunity to be a better student-athlete.”
Johnson added that Chamov comes from four generations of coaches; his mother continues coaching in Europe: “That piece of it is really going to help us,” said Johnson. “He’s very much on top of it and his wife is from France, so they’re intertwined in the European network. That’s going to help us in recruiting and being able to acquire some kids from Europe.”
After graduating from Lindenwood University, Chamov started his coaching career there by leading teams that produced seven national champions and 16 All-Americans at NAIA level.
For his achievements both as athlete and coach, Chamov was inducted into Lindenwood Hall of Fame in 2014.
Chamov is married; his wife Celia was herself a six-time NAIA champion at Lindenwood. They have one daughter born November 2018.
