Blast from the Past …
Here is a recap of the epic battle between Naim Suleymanoglu & Valerios Leonidis at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics Men’s 64kg.
Features short interviews with both lifters, about how they experienced the competition.
Update 17.09.2014: Better Video from the official Olympics Channel (who for some reason disabled embedding)
(Original Post from Feb 1st, 2012)
| Rank | Name | Body Weight (kg) | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naim Süleymanoğlu | 63.90 | 147.5 | 187.5 | 335.0 |
| 2 | Valerios Leonidis | 63.22 | 145.0 | 187.5 | 332.5 |
Man there needs to be a shirt with this guy on it.
Süleymanoğlu that is
One of the most epic athletic competitions ever, in any sport. Leonidis was a phenomenal athlete on his own, but had the misfortune of having Naim as a competitor. Naim was virtually supernatural. The rivalry with Leonidis helped make him who he became, arguably weightlifting’s greatest of all time.
That was wonderful. I still remember watching it. The 2,5 kg minimum increase was perfect. It was a big mistake to change it. Naim was the greatest of all times,it doesn’t matter how many medals other lifters win. He was unique. Like Ali in boxing.