Halil Mutlu

Halil Mutlu

Personal information
Nationality	Turkish
Born	July 14, 1973 Postnik, Momchilgrad municipality, Kardzhali Province, Bulgaria
Height	1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)
Sport
Country	Turkey
Sport	Weightlifting
Medal record Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta –54 kg 2000 Sydney –56 kg 2004 Athens –56 kg World Championships 1994 Istanbul –54 kg 1998 Lahti – 56 kg 1999 Athens –56 kg 2001 Antalya –56 kg 2003 Vancouver –62 kg 1993 Melbourne –54 kg 1995 Guangzhou –54 kg European Championships 1994 Sokolov –54 kg 1995 Warsaw –54 kg 1996 Stavanger –54 kg 1997 Rijeka –54 kg 1999 La Coruña –56 kg 2000 Sofia –56 kg 2001 Trencin –56 kg 2003 Loutraki –62 kg 2005 Sofia –62 kg 2008 Lignano Sabbiadoro –56 kg 1991 Wladyslawowo –52 kg 1992 Szekszard –52 kg

Halil Mutlu (born Halil Aliev (Bulgarian: Халил Алиев)^[1] on July 14, 1973 in Postnik, Bulgaria) is a professional Turkish weightlifter with several World and Olympic championships. Mutlu is one of the four weightlifters achieving 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.

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,

Medals

Olympics

Rank	Discipline	Snatch	Clean&Jerk	Total	Place	Date
Gold	–56 kg	135.0	160.0	295.0	Athens, GRE	Aug 17, 2004
Gold	–56 kg	137.5	167.5 WR	305.0 CWR	Sydney, AUS	Sep 16, 2000
Gold	–54 kg	132.5	155.0	287.5	Atlanta, GA, United States	1996

World Championships

Rank	Discipline	Snatch	Clean&Jerk	Total	Place	Date
Gold	–62 kg	147.5	175.0	322.5	Vancouver, CAN	Aug 6, 2003
Gold	–56 kg	138.5 WR	162.5	301.0	Antalya, TUR	Nov 4, 2001
Gold	–56 kg		168.0 WR		Trenčín, SVK	Apr 24, 2001
Gold	–56 kg	137.5	165.0	302.5 WR	Athens, GRE	Nov 22, 1999
Gold	–56 kg	135.0	160.0	295.0	Lahti, FIN	1998
Gold	–54 kg	130.0			Guangzhou, CHN	1995
Silver	–54 kg		155.0	285.0	Guangzhou, CHN	1995
Gold	–54 kg	130.0	160.0	290.0	Istanbul, TUR	1994
Silver	–54 kg	122.5	152.5	275.0	Melbourne, AUS	1993

European Championships

Rank	Discipline	Snatch	Clean&Jerk	Total	Place	Date
Gold	–62 kg	140.0	167.5	307.5	Sofia, BUL	Apr 20, 2005
Gold	–56 kg	120.0	149.0	269.0	Lignano Sabbiadoro, ITA	Apr 14, 2008
Gold	–56 kg	138.5	168.0	305.0	Loutraki, GRE	Apr 15, 2003
Gold	–56 kg	135.0	165.0	300.0	Sofia, BUL	2000
Gold	–56 kg	135.0	160.0	295.0	Coruña, ESP	1999

• CWR: Current world record
• WR: World record

See also

• Athletes with most gold medals in one event at the Olympic Games

References

1. Халил Мутлу: Децата ми не знаят български, но ще ги науча
2. "BARCELONA". The New York Times. 1992-07-27. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
3. "ATLANTA: DAY 2 -- ROUNDUP;WEIGHT LIFTING: Turk Takes Gold Medal at 119 Pounds". The New York Times. 1996-07-21. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
4. "PLUS: WEIGHT LIFTING -- WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS; Mutlu of Turkey Sets Three Records". The New York Times. 1999-11-23. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
5. "SYDNEY 2000: ROUNDUP -- WEIGHT LIFTING; The Fight for Second". The New York Times. 2000-09-17. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
6. "OLYMPICS: ROUNDUP; WEIGHT LIFTING: MUTLU OF TURKEY WINS THIRD GOLD". The New York Times. 2004-08-16. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
7. Kepcetutan, Necmi (2008-08-30). "Şampiyona ayıp oldu". Milliyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2008-08-30. Pekin’e hazır olmadığı ve sakatlığını gerekçe göstererek katılmayan rekortmen halterci Halil Mutlu ASKİ kulübünden kovulduğunu rastlantı sonucu öğrendi. |section= ignored (help)

External links

• Halil Mutlu, Hall of Fame at Lift Up
• Halil Mutlu at Database Weightlifting