By 15 he had already set a world record and at 16 Suleymangolu became just the second male to lift three times his weight in the clean and jerk.
As an athlete of international fame, Suleymanoglu led a privileged existence. But his life changed dramatically when the xenophobic government of Bulgaria made an ill-fated attempt to assimilate the country's ethnic Turks.
Throughout the country, mosques were closed and Muslim burial rites were prohibited.
In 1986, he fled Bulgaria and settled in Turkey, where he soon became a citizen.
Suleymanoglu competed for Turkey at the 1988 Seoul Games, where he broke the world featherweight record for the snatch.
He established another world record in the clean and jerk and his total combined weight was more than the lightweight division's winner.
Suleymanoglu was set to retire following the Games but his status as champion of Bulgaria's oppressed led him to win gold at the next two Olympics before retiring for good in 1997.
Olympic Legends
