Osman Duraliev ( bg, Осман Дуралиев, 15 January 1939 – 25 April 2011) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

n freestyle wrestler with

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

origin. Between 1967 and 1972 he won ten silver medals at major international competitions, including the

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

and

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. An archrival of the Soviet

Aleksandr Medved Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Medved (born 16 September 1937) is a Ukrainian-born Soviet Belarusian retired freestyle wrestler who competed for the Soviet Union and was named "one of the greatest wrestlers in history" by FILA, the sport's governing bod ...

, to whom he lost eight high-profile finals (two Olympic, four World, and two European,) subsequently winning only the

Silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

s. He came close to winning at the 1971 World Championships in Sofia, where he led the match 4:3 with 43 seconds left. Yet Medved equalized the score and won the title because of his lower body weight. Considering that Medved was named one of the greatest wrestlers in history, the Duraliev could be deservedly placed in the same rostrum with Medved and a select few others. In 1989 Duraliev immigrated to Turkey, where he died aged 72.

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* 1939 births 2011 deaths People from Razgrad Bulgarian people of Turkish descent Olympic wrestlers of Bulgaria Wrestlers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Bulgarian male sport wrestlers Olympic silver medalists for Bulgaria Olympic medalists in wrestling Bulgarian Turks in Turkey Bulgarian emigrants to Turkey World Wrestling Championships medalists Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics European Wrestling Championships medalists {{Bulgaria-wrestling-bio-stub