| 1967 | Born in Kircali, Bulgaria |
| 1977 | Sent away from his family to a training school |
| 1982 | Sets his first world record |
| 1984 | Misses Olympic Games because of his country's boycott |
| 1986 | Defects from Bulgaria to Turkey |
| 1988 | Wins gold medal at Seoul Olympics |
| 1990 | Retires, but soon returns to competition |
| 1992 | Wins gold medal at Barcelona Olympics |
| 1996 | Wins gold medal at Atlanta Olympics |
| 2000 | Competes in Sydney Olympics, but fails on all his attempts to lift |
| 2000 | Retires from competition |
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