Halil Mutlu

Halil Mutlu (born Halil Aliev (Bulgarian: Халил Алиев)[1] on 14 July 1973 in Postnik, Bulgaria) is a former professional Turkish weightlifter with several World and Olympic championship titles. Mutlu is one of the five weightlifters who has achieved three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games. His weightlifting career includes five World championships, nine European championships and more than 20 world records at 52 kg (115 lb), 54 kg (119 lb) and 56 kg (123 lb) combined.

Halil Mutlu
Personal information
Nickname(s)"Dynamo"
NationalityTurkey Turkish
Bulgaria Bulgarian
Born (1973-07-14) 14 July 1973
Bulgaria Postnik, Momchilgrad municipality, Kardzhali Province, People's Republic of Bulgaria
Height1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)
Sport
CountryTurkey Turkey
SportWeightlifting
Turned pro1992
Retired2008
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)
  • Snatch: 147.5 kg (2003, WR)
  • Clean and jerk: 175 kg (2003, WR)
  • Total: 322.5 kg (2003, WR)
Medal record
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta –54 kg
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney –56 kg
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens –56 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Istanbul –54 kg
Gold medal – first place 1998 Lahti – 56 kg
Gold medal – first place 1999 Athens –56 kg
Gold medal – first place 2001 Antalya –56 kg
Gold medal – first place 2003 Vancouver –62 kg
Silver medal – second place 1993 Melbourne –54 kg
Silver medal – second place 1995 Guangzhou –54 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1994 Sokolov –54 kg
Gold medal – first place 1995 Warsaw –54 kg
Gold medal – first place 1996 Stavanger –54 kg
Gold medal – first place 1997 Rijeka –54 kg
Gold medal – first place 1999 La Coruña –56 kg
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sofia –56 kg
Gold medal – first place 2001 Trencin –56 kg
Gold medal – first place 2003 Loutraki –62 kg
Gold medal – first place 2008 Lignano Sabbiadoro –56 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Wladyslawowo –52 kg
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Szekszard –52 kg
Disqualified 2005 Sofia –62 kg

Career

In 1994, he won both the European and world championships, titles that would soon become commonplace for him. He made his first Olympic appearance in 1992 in the 52 kg category and finished fifth.[2] In 1996, in the 54 kg category, the reigning world champion and world record holder, Mutlu broke the world record in the snatch and went on to win the gold medal by 7.5 kg.[3] At the 1999 World Championships he beat silver medal winner Adrian Jigău by around 20 kg and set a new world record.[4] He remained undefeated until the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he was even more dominant than he had been in Atlanta. This time he set world records in both the snatch and the clean and jerk and won by 17.5 kg in the 56 kg category.[5]

He was suffering from a shoulder injury in 2003 and temporarily moved to the 62 kg class. His career appeared in doubt after a torn right rotator cuff and ruptured biceps tendon sidelined him for most of 2002.

Mutlu dominated in his weight class since mid-1990s. By the time of the Athens Olympics in 2004, Mutlu won the world championship five times, although he had missed the 2002 season because of injury. In Athens he out lifted Wu Meijin of China by 5 kg in the snatch and then extended his lead in the jerk to earn victory by 7.5 kg. At 31, he captured his third consecutive gold medal at the Olympics in Athens.[6]

Steroid ban

In 2005, Mutlu was banned from international competition by the International Weightlifting Federation for 2 years for use of anabolic steroid Nandrolone, although he insists that he never knowingly took steroids. The Turkish Weightlifting Federation itself had been suspended by the IWF for "repeated anti-doping violations" until May 2006. He pulled out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics stating that he was not able to "lift my targeted weight in practice." As a penalty, he was expelled from the ASKI.[7]

Personal life

Mutlu is married and has lived in Ankara, Turkey since the early 1990s. He is a member of the Konya Kombassan Club in Konya and is coached by Ibrahim Elmali. Beside weightlifting, Mutlu enjoys wrestling.

Highlights
  • World junior champion (1993),
  • Five-time world champion (2003, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1994 - 1st; 1995, 1993 - 2nd.),
  • Nine-time European champion (2005, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1994),
  • 25 gold medals (8 Snatch, 8 Clean and Jerk, 9 Total) in total at European Championships, winner of the most gold medals second after David Rigert with 27 gold medals,
  • Only fourth weightlifter to win three Olympic gold medals (2004, 2000, 1996),
  • Named as the "Sportsman of the year 1999" in Turkey,
  • He is one of five men in history to lift three times his bodyweight,

Major results
Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
1992Spain Barcelona, Spain52 kg105.0110.0112.55135.0137.5137.55247.55
1996United States Atlanta, United States54 kg125.0130.0132.51152.5152.5155.01287.51st place, gold medalist(s)
2000Australia Sydney, Australia56 kg130.0135.0138.01160.0167.5170.01305.01st place, gold medalist(s)
2004Greece Athens, Greece56 kg130.0135.0140.01160.0165.0168.51295.01st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships
1993Australia Melbourne, Australia54 kg120.0122.5125.02nd place, silver medalist(s)152.5155.0155.02nd place, silver medalist(s)275.02nd place, silver medalist(s)
1994Turkey Istanbul, Turkey54 kg122.5127.5130.01st place, gold medalist(s)152.5158.0160.01st place, gold medalist(s)290.01st place, gold medalist(s)
1995China Guangzhou, China54 kg125.0127.5130.01st place, gold medalist(s)155.0155.0160.52nd place, silver medalist(s)285.02nd place, silver medalist(s)
1998Finland Lahti, Finland56 kg130.0135.0135.01st place, gold medalist(s)160.0160.0166.01st place, gold medalist(s)295.01st place, gold medalist(s)
1999Greece Athens, Greece56 kg130.0136.0137.51st place, gold medalist(s)160.0166.0—1st place, gold medalist(s)302.51st place, gold medalist(s)
2001Turkey Antalya, Turkey56 kg132.5138.5—1st place, gold medalist(s)162.5168.5168.51st place, gold medalist(s)300.01st place, gold medalist(s)
2003Canada Vancouver, Canada62 kg145.0145.0147.51st place, gold medalist(s)175.0175.0180.01st place, gold medalist(s)322.51st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships
1990Denmark Aalborg, Denmark52 kg102.54127.55230.04
1991Poland Wladyslawowo, Poland52 kg105.03rd place, bronze medalist(s)135.03rd place, bronze medalist(s)240.03rd place, bronze medalist(s)
1992Hungary Szekszárd, Hungary52 kg110.03rd place, bronze medalist(s)137.52nd place, silver medalist(s)247.53rd place, bronze medalist(s)
1994Czech Republic Sokolov, Czech Republic54 kg122.52nd place, silver medalist(s)155.01st place, gold medalist(s)277.51st place, gold medalist(s)
1995Poland Warsaw, Poland54 kg130.01st place, gold medalist(s)155.02nd place, silver medalist(s)285.01st place, gold medalist(s)
1996Norway Stavanger, Norway54 kg120.0130.0130.01st place, gold medalist(s)145.0155.0160.01st place, gold medalist(s)275.01st place, gold medalist(s)
1997Croatia Rijeka, Croatia54 kg120.0125.0130.01st place, gold medalist(s)150.0155.0—1st place, gold medalist(s)280.01st place, gold medalist(s)
1999Spain A Coruña, Spain56 kg130.0135.5135.51st place, gold medalist(s)155.0160.0166.01st place, gold medalist(s)295.51st place, gold medalist(s)
2000Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria56 kg127.5132.5135.01st place, gold medalist(s)157.5166.5—1st place, gold medalist(s)300.01st place, gold medalist(s)
2001Slovakia Trenčín, Slovakia56 kg125.0130.0135.01st place, gold medalist(s)155.0168.0—1st place, gold medalist(s)302.51st place, gold medalist(s)
2003Greece Loutraki, Greece62 kg140.0145.0145.01st place, gold medalist(s)170.0175.0180.01st place, gold medalist(s)320.01st place, gold medalist(s)
2005Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria62 kg135.0140.0—DSQ165.0167.5—DSQ307.5DSQ
2008Italy Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy56 kg1201201201st place, gold medalist(s)1491491511st place, gold medalist(s)2691st place, gold medalist(s)
World Junior Championships
1991Germany Wolmirstedt, Germany52 kg105.02nd place, silver medalist(s)127.54232.54
1992Bulgaria Varna, Bulgaria52 kg112.51st place, gold medalist(s)137.52nd place, silver medalist(s)250.02nd place, silver medalist(s)
1993Czech Republic Cheb, Czech54 kg122.51st place, gold medalist(s)152.51st place, gold medalist(s)275.01st place, gold medalist(s)
European Junior Championships
1992United Kingdom Cardiff, United Kingdom52 kg112.51st place, gold medalist(s)135.01st place, gold medalist(s)247.51st place, gold medalist(s)

Medals

Olympics

RankDisciplineSnatchClean&JerkTotalPlaceDate
 Gold–56 kg135.0160.0295.0Athens, GREAug 17, 2004
 Gold–56 kg137.5167.5 WR305.0Sydney, AUSSep 16, 2000
 Gold–54 kg132.5155.0287.5Atlanta, GA, United States1996

World Championships

RankDisciplineSnatchClean&JerkTotalPlaceDate
 Gold–62 kg147.5175.0322.5Vancouver, CANAug 6, 2003
 Gold–56 kg138.5 WR162.5301.0Antalya, TURNov 4, 2001
 Gold–56 kg137.5165.0302.5 WRAthens, GRENov 22, 1999
 Gold–56 kg135.0160.0295.0Lahti, FIN1998
 Gold–54 kg130.0Guangzhou, CHN1995
 Silver–54 kg155.0285.0Guangzhou, CHN1995
 Gold–54 kg130.0160.0290.0Istanbul, TUR1994
 Silver–54 kg122.5152.5275.0Melbourne, AUS1993

European Championships

RankDisciplineSnatchClean&JerkTotalPlaceDate
 Gold–62 kg140.0167.5307.5Sofia, BULApr 20, 2005
 Gold–56 kg120.0149.0269.0Lignano Sabbiadoro, ITAApr 14, 2008
 Gold–56 kg138.5168.0305.0Loutraki, GREApr 15, 2003
 Gold–56 kg168.0 WRTrenčín, SVKApr 24, 2001
 Gold–56 kg135.0165.0300.0Sofia, BUL2000
 Gold–56 kg135.0160.0295.0Coruña, ESP1999
  • CWR: Current world record
  • WR: World record

See also

References
  1. Халил Мутлу: Децата ми не знаят български, но ще ги науча
  2. "BARCELONA". The New York Times. 27 July 1992. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  3. "ATLANTA: DAY 2 -- ROUNDUP;WEIGHT LIFTING: Turk Takes Gold Medal at 119 Pounds". The New York Times. 21 July 1996. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  4. "PLUS: WEIGHT LIFTING -- WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS; Mutlu of Turkey Sets Three Records". The New York Times. 23 November 1999. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  5. "SYDNEY 2000: ROUNDUP -- WEIGHT LIFTING; The Fight for Second". The New York Times. 17 September 2000. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  6. "OLYMPICS: ROUNDUP; WEIGHT LIFTING: MUTLU OF TURKEY WINS THIRD GOLD". The New York Times. 16 August 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  7. Kepcetutan, Necmi (30 August 2008). "Şampiyona ayıp oldu". Spor. Milliyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2008. Pekin'e hazır olmadığı ve sakatlığını gerekçe göstererek katılmayan rekortmen halterci Halil Mutlu ASKİ kulübünden kovulduğunu rastlantı sonucu öğrendi.
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