Weightlifting legendary Suleymanoglu dies

Istanbul, Turkey: Turkey's legendary triple Olympic gold medal winning weightlifting champion Naim Suleymanoglu, dubbed the "pocket Hercules" for generating huge power from his diminutive frame, has died aged 50, state media said.

The Bulgarian-born Suleymanoglu, who had in late September been admitted to intensive care after suffering liver failure, died in hospital in Istanbul, the Anadolu news agency said.

He is considered to be one of the most successful athlete of weightlifting history, has broken world record 46 times along with 3 Olympic and 8 World Championship Gold medal throughout his career. Especially at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, he broke 9 Worlds and 6 Olympics records, achieving a sensational success.

In 1992 he was voted “The Best Athlete” in the world by the International Weightlifting Media Commission. In addition to this, Süleymanoglu was elected as Vice President for International Weightlifting Federation in 2000.