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Naum
Shalamanov
(also
Naim
Suleimanov
and
Naim
Süleymanoglu,
born
January
23,
1967
at
Ptichar,
Bulgaria)
is a
Turkish
World
and
Olympic
Champion
in
weightlifting.
He
won
three
Olympic
Championships,
seven
World
Championships
and
six
European
Championships
and
improved
world
records
46
times.
Of
Turkish
descent
born
in
Bulgaria,
Naim
Suleimanov
was
a
boy
wonder
who
set
his
first
world
record
in
weightlifting
at
age
16.
Due
to
his
small
stature,
he
was
nicknamed
"The
Pocket
Hercules".
He
missed
his
first
chance
at
Olympic
success
in
1984
when
Bulgaria
joined
the
Soviet
boycott
of
the
1984
Los
Angeles
Olympics.
Soon
afterward,
the
Communist
regime
in
Bulgaria
forced
its
Turkish
minority
to
adopt
Bulgarian
names,
and
he
was
then
known
internationally
as
Naum
Shalamanov.
While
on a
trip
to
the
World
Cup
Final
in
Melbourne
in
1986,
Suleimanov
defected.
He
resurfaced
in
Turkey,
where
he
applied
for
citizenship.
He
also
changed
his
name
from
the
Bulgarian
Suleimanov/Shalamanov
to
the
Turkish
Süleymanoglu.
A
battle
over
which
country
he
would
represent
in
the
1988
Seoul
Olympics
arose.
The
Bulgarian
government
asked
for,
and
received,
$1,000,000
from
Turkey
to
allow
Naim
to
compete
for
Turkey.
The
4'11"
(150
cm)
Naim
did
not
disappoint,
winning
the
lightweight
title
at
the
1988
Summer
Olympics.
He
retired
after
winning
the
world
championship
in
1989
at
the
age
of
22.
After
the
fall
of
Communism
in
Bulgaria,
his
family
was
able
to
join
him
in
Turkey.
The
allure
of
competition
was
too
strong,
and
Naim
returned
in
1991
and
he
won
a
second
Olympic
gold
medal
at
Barcelona
in
1992.
Between
the
Olympiads,
Naim
continued
to
win
world
titles
and
set
records.
The
1996
Olympic
Games
were
to
be
his
swan
song.
He
announced
his
retirement
again,
effective
after
the
Atlanta
Olympics.
Not
to
disappoint,
Naim
won
a
third
Olympic
gold
medal.
Once
again,
Naim
retired,
only
to
be
lured
back.
He
returned
to
competition
in
1999
but
the
great
champion
was
not
the
same.
He
failed
to
win
a
medal
at
Sydney
in
2000
and
retired
for
a
final
time
at
age
33.
He
appeared
on
the
cover
of
Time
and
was
the
first
weightlifter
to
lift
more
than
3
times
his
body
weight. |