Naim Suleymanoglu, nicknamed Pocket Hercules for his combination of a 147 centimeter frame and immense strength, was a Turkish weightlifter and three time Olympic gold medalist. Born to ethnic Turkish parents in Bulgaria, he defected to Turkey in 1986 amid a state policy forcing ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names, with Turkey paying Bulgaria for his athletic release. He set 51 world records between 1983 and 1996 and remains one of the most dominant lifters in the sport's history. He died in Istanbul in 2017 at age 50. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Career HighlightDefected from Bulgaria to Turkey in 1986 after fleeing his handlers during a competition in Melbourne, amid a Bulgarian policy that forced ethnic Turks to adopt Slavic names; Turkey paid Bulgaria 1.25 million dollars to secure his release to compete internationally. 1 Career HighlightSet 51 world records between 1983 and 1996 and won seven World Championship titles; at Seoul 1988 his clean and jerk of 190 kilograms was 3.15 times his own body weight, the highest ratio on record. 1 Career HighlightWon three consecutive Olympic gold medals, at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 in the 60 kilogram division and Atlanta 1996 in the 64 kilogram division. 1 Classification
Competition Category FAQs
Why did Naim Suleymanoglu miss the 1987 and 1990 world championships?
He missed 1987 because Turkey had to get permission from Bulgaria and pay it after his defection; he missed 1990 during a brief retirement.
Naim Suleymanoglu did not compete in 1987 because he had recently defected from Bulgaria and was not allowed to lift for Turkey until the Turkish authorities received permission from the Bulgarians and paid them. He also sat out 1990, retiring briefly before making a successful comeback.
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Source Wikipedia, Naim SuleymanogluLead sentence 1tier 2Quote, Lead sentence 1
Naim Süleymanoğlu (23 January 1967 – 18 November 2017) was a Turkish Olympic weightlifter.
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1. Wikipedia, Naim Suleymanoglu
Wikimedia Foundationlead paragraph, birth-year
Naim Süleymanoğlu (23 January 1967-18 November 2017) was a Turkish Olympic weightlifter. He was a seven-time World Weightlifting champion and a three-time Olympic gold medalist who set 51 world records. At 147 cm in height, Süleymanoğlu's short stature and great strength led to him being nicknamed "Pocket Hercules". He is widely considered as one of the greatest Olympic weightlifters of all time, with many calling him the best pound-for-pound weightlifter in the history of weightlifting. At the 1988 Summer Olympics, Süleymanoğlu set multiple world records in the featherweight division in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total. Following the 1988 Summer Olympics, he made the cover of Time magazine. Süleymanoğlu went on to win Olympic gold in 1992 and 1996. He was awarded the Olympic Order in 2001. In 2000 and 2004, he was elected as a member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.
Wikipedia or cited reference, description lead (competition-category)
Naim Suleymanoglu, nicknamed Pocket Hercules for his combination of a 147 centimeter frame and immense strength, was a Turkish weightlifter and three time Olympic gold medalist.
- Plays: Weightlifting
- Competed In: Olympic Games
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