'Pocket Hercules' Naim Suleymanoglu Has Passed Away

'Pocket Hercules' Naim Suleymanoglu Has Passed Away

"Pocket Hercules" Naim Suleymanoglu, one of the greatest weightlifters of all time, has passed away at the age of 50.

Nov 18, 2017 by Armen Hammer
'Pocket Hercules' Naim Suleymanoglu Has Passed Away

Legendary weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu, also known as "Pocket Hercules," has passed away at the age of 50.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist had recently been hospitalized for liver problems and had received a liver transplant in October.

Suleymanoglu was only 4-foot-10 but was a giant in weightlifting, with three Olympic titles, seven world championships, multiple European championships, six world records, and the highest Sinclair score of all time at 504 points, making him pound-for-pound the greatest weightlifter ever.


He was such an incredible athlete that at the 1988 Olympics, his gold medal performance was 30kg ahead of second place and would have earned him a gold medal in the weight class above his as well. At the competition, Suleymanoglu snatched 152.5kg/336lb and clean and jerked 190kg/418lb in the 60kg/132lb division.