Husein Mehmedov () (25 January 1924 – 9 March 2014) was a Bulgarian wrestler of Turkish descent who competed in the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

. Husein Mekhmedov was of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria and was introduced to

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

at a young age. Mehmedov competed at heavyweight his entire career and was equally strong at both styles of wrestling. He was selected for the Bulgarian national team in 1950 after his military service with the Bulgarian Army. Mehmedov had a brief but successful international career. He first competed internationally at the 1955 World Student Games, winning gold in Greco-Roman heavyweight. In 1956, he won bronzes in both Greco-Roman and freestyle at the World Cup and established himself as one of the medal contenders in both heavyweight styles at the 1956 Olympics. At

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Mekhmedov won silver in freestyle, but had to withdraw from the Greco-Roman event days later after two bouts due to injury. In 1957, he won gold in freestyle and silver in Greco-Roman heavyweight at the World Student Games and later won bronze at the 1957 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships. Mehmedov finished his competitive career in 1959. He then worked as a wrestling coach in Bulgaria until 1989, when he emigrated to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He settled in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, where he died in March 2014 at the age of 90. Hussein Mehmedov was the father of Resmiye Şengüler, and the grandfather of Mehnur Çakır, Hatice Şengüler, Hüseyin Çakır, and Ata Nuh.

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* 1924 births 2014 deaths Bulgarian people of Turkish descent Olympic wrestlers for Bulgaria Wrestlers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Bulgarian male sport wrestlers Olympic silver medalists for Bulgaria Olympic medalists in wrestling Sportspeople from Razgrad Province Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Bulgarian Turks in Turkey World Wrestling Championships medalists Bulgarian military personnel 20th-century Bulgarian sportsmen {{Bulgaria-wrestling-bio-stub