The exhibition "Memo Sulejmanov - Macedonian athletic recorder" will open on Wednesday (April 3) at 12.30.
The museum items that formed the fund of Memo Sulejmanov in the Historical section of the Museum of Macedonia from the collection for Physical Culture and Sports will be presented.
Memo Sulejmanov was born in 1926 in Veles.
Although they do not know many athletes, especially the younger generations, Suleymanov Memo is certainly the founder of the marathon running in Macedonia. In the years immediately after World War II, Sulejmanov played in the disciplines of medium-long trails. As a long time he was the owner of all records in the disciplines of 3000 meters to the marathon.
At the State Individual Championship of Yugoslavia, held on August 23-24, 1946, Memo Suleimanov won the 2nd place with a score of 2:47. The placement in this race unambiguously confirms the qualities of this athlete not only within Macedonia, but also in the then Yugoslav territories.
In 1949, by the first sports newspaper in Macedonia "Sports Voice", the first selection of the best athletes in Macedonia was made. In a survey conducted by readers, Memo Suleimanov took the seventh place in the top 10 athletes.
Memo Suleymanov will remain remembered as an athlete who played barefoot without sprinters. After finishing his long and rich sports career, he came to the role of a photojournalist at all major sports events. Everyone wanted to be photographed by him.
Memo Suleymanov, because he was a Roma and because of the darker skin color among athletes, he also had the popular nickname "African". At the international rally in Belgrade, at the JNA stadium in 1949, he was vigorously welcomed by viewers who thought he was a runner from Africa.
He died at the age of 58 in Skopje in 1984.
