Thousands bid farewell to sportsman of the century

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 19: Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim attends the funeral service of Naim Suleymanoglu, a Turkish weightlifter who died on Saturday at the age of 50, at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on November 19, 2017. “On many occasions, he succeeded to raise our flag with a crescent and moon up to the flag pole and made 80 million of our people proud. I once again offer my condolences over death of legendary sportsman Naim Suleymanoglu who we lost at a young age”, Yildirim said. Suleymanoglu, who was nicknamed Pocket Hercules due to his 1.47 meters (4 feet 10 inches) frame, was the first ever weightlifter to claim gold at three different Olympic Games. “He dominated the sport for over a decade and by the time he finished his career, he had set an astonishing 46 world records,” according to the Olympic website. Suleymanoglu set a record with a lift of 190 kilograms (419 pounds) in the clean and jerk in the 1988 Olympics. In 2000 and 2004 he was elected to the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Olympic Order -- the highest award of the Olympic movement -- in 2001. (Footage by Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)