Naim Süleymanoğlu has died of liver failure aged 50 - AFP
CAIRO – 18 November 2017: Former national weightlifter Naim Süleymanoğlu, an Olympic and world champion, passed away on Saturday at the age of 50 at the hospital.
Süleymanoğlu was born on January 23, 1967 in Bulgaria. He started his sports career at the age of 9.
He was nicknamed “The Pocket Hercules” due to his small stature of 1.47 m (4ft 10in). He was very strong, even though his neck was short.
Süleymanoğlu won two gold medals at the World Junior Weightlifting Championship in 1981 in Brazil. He broke the record and became champion at the age of 16.
He represented Turkey in the European Weightlifting Championship in Cardiff, Wales in 1988, and he won three gold medals.
Süleymanoğlu won the gold medal in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and was named "World's Best Sportsman" by the International Weightlifting Media Commission in the same year.
In 1993, he won three gold medals at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia and was able to break the world record.
In 1994, the world championship was held in Istanbul, Turkey for the first time. Süleymanoğlu used the Turkish audience and won three gold medals and broke three world records.
In 1994, he performed only three times during the European championship in Warsaw, Poland, and he broke three world records.
He retired after winning a third consecutive Olympic gold medal in Atlanta at the 1996 Olympic Games.
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