Naim Suleymanoglu dead: Three-time Olympic champion weightlifter dies of liver failure aged 50
Bulgarian-born Suleymanoglu,
who defected to Turkey in sensational circumstances, was dubbed the
'pocket Hercules' during his career
TURKEY'S
legendary triple Olympic gold medal winning weightlifting champion Naim
Suleymanoglu - dubbed "pocket Hercules" - has died aged 50.
Bulgarian-born Suleymanoglu, who had in late September been admitted
to intensive care after suffering liver failure, died in hospital in
Istanbul.
His exploits made him a national hero in Turkey, where he is regarded as one of the greatest sports personalities in the country's history.
But the path to stardom for Suleymanoglu, who was born Naim Suleimanov as a member of the Turkish minority in Bulgaria, was not smooth.
He initially competed for Bulgaria but defected from the then Communist-bloc eastern European state in December 1986 during the Weightlifting World Cup in Melbourne.
Bulgaria fumed over his defection and Suleymanoglu was initially suspended for a year. But he then stormed to victory at the 1988 Games.
He built up one of the sport's greatest ever rivalries with Greece's Valerios Leonidis which was followed avidly by Turkish and Greek communities across the world. After picking up a third Olympic title in Atlanta, he tried a comeback at the 2000 Sydney Games but suffered a rare failure and subsequently dabbled in politics.
