OlympicTalk · Nov 18, 2017
‘Pocket Hercules,’ Olympic weightlifting champion, dies at 50
Alina Zagitova’s win ups pressure on Ashley Wagner for last GP Final spotNaim Suleymanoglu, Turkey’s triple Olympic champion weightlifter nicknamed “Pocket Hercules,” died at age 50 on Saturday.
Suleymanoglu was hospitalized with liver failure on Sept. 28 in Istanbul. He underwent a liver transplant Oct. 6, then remained in intensive care due to a brain hemorrhage and further Nov. 11 surgery, according to Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.
The 5-foot, 136-pound Suleymanoglu became the first weightlifter to win three Olympic titles, doing so in 1988, 1992 and 1996.
He could clean and jerk three times his body weight, helping gain his famous nickname.