An additional fact: Leonidas has great respect for Naim and he came to Turkey to attend Naim Süleymanoglu's funeral. Huge respect for Leonidas as well.
Interesting how most of the elite weightlifters are from nearby region (east balkan, anatolia and caucasus) makes me think the food and nutrients from that area plays a role aswell
After Naim broke all the records, the categories in which Naim competed were cancelled. Because they know that it is no longer possible to break a new record in that weight.
Exactly. Honestly quite disgusting how they changed it with Soviet athletes and then Naim... The record's category that is 6kg heavier still has lower records than Naim.
Naim is an absolute GOAT. Its hard to believe what he achieved in the sport. 1988 Seul Olympiad performance still remains the scariest of all time. What a great legend, what a man…..
A guy from Turkiye here. Having met Naim and talked to him, I agree. He was supremely talented from a very young age, far more talented than any other weightlifter. And he was at his prime already at the age of 20. But, he did not fully preserve that top performance, maybe to a certain extent upto 1996. I agree that Leonidas made great improvement over time and was almost as good as Naim in 1996. And in 2000, don't forget Peshalov. Both of these guys were far behind Naim in 1992 Barcelona. They caught him and then in 2000... Naim was smoking in February 2000 before the olympiads in Sydney. Finally, the common point of all these guys is that compared to today's weightlifters, they were far better, and they were also very humble.
More like one in a Trillion. Not to mention youngest ever to hold the world record for adult males, not to mention 1984 Friendship games Gold which Soviet bloke boycoutted. And what they lifted made 1984 Los Angeles like training.
Just to show how insane Naim's 1988 performance was, he won the gold in 60kg category with a total of 342.5kg (152.5kg+190kg). In the next weight division (67.5kg), Joachim Kunz won the gold with a total of 340kg (150kg+190kg). So, Naim could have competed in the 67.5kg body weight division and still won the gold. As far as I know, Naim is the only weightlifter to achieve this in an Olympic competition.
no, there are several others. The most striking one is Yurik Vardanyan who won with 400kg at 82kg - he would have won also the 90 and 100kg - that's mind blowing.
@@ikipemiko That is why Yurik is the GOAT, his 1980 world records would have won him 3 Gold medals in 3 different weight divisions 82Kg, 90Kg and 100Kg. It has never been achieved since.
And if he hadn't shot for a world-record out the gate in Sydney, he could have had another one. It's reasonable to speculate about him getting five Olympic gold medals.
I am Bulgarian, the reason there were so many good weightlifters coming from Bulgaria in the past was that we had a very good weightlifschool headed by the coach Ivan Abadzhiev. He trained both Naim Suleymanoglu (Наим Сюлейманоглу) and Halil Mutlu (Халил Мутлу), as well as other Bulgarian weightlifters - Norair Nurikyan, Yordan Bikov, Andon Nikolov, Yanko Rusev, Asen Zlatev who won gold at the Olympics. Also at the time the socialist one party state invested lots of money in sport and encouraged participation in sport at all levels.
@@bonerici yes you can. Lasha has the highest total in weightlifting that makes him the goat in his class. The fact that he's surpassed everyone thats lifted before him and is still competing confirms that.
Vasili Alexeev 80 World Records 81 Soviet Records 8x World Champion 8x European Champion 2x Olympic Champion First man to break the 500 lb barrier Alexeev competed frequently so everybody had a shot at him, yet he still dominated. His 80 world records are true official first time best lifts, not repeats of past lifts. There weren't any weight class changes during his reign. All of his records were in the 110+ kilo class.
Most of those records were by adding a half kilo at a time, and the "press" was discontinued due to sloppy performances. Pisarenko had far fewer "records" but exceeded Alexeev in both lifts.
@@charlessavoie2367 Yes, that's true. But to continually break records if even by a half kilo is a remarkable feat of consistency. Pisarenko, if he'd had a longer career might have set records even beyond Lasha's capabilities. I saw Pisarenko compete. He was very powerful.
Since you know Dimas in person, please don't tell him that he's an Albanian. He is a Greek born and raised in Albania and later on moved in Greece; just like many Turks born and raised in Bulgaria. The situation in the Balkans was a bit more complicated back in these days.
Yes I understand the sensitivity of the issue. He is DEFINITELY GREEK and is a phenomenal representative of his country and a very cool guy to work with 💪
@@labinotberisha310 not even close dude.He was born in voreia hpeiros which is a greek place located in Albania.People from there are greeks who stayed without their will there.You can study little bit more to learn sone things
Süleymanoğlu is the first and only weightlifter to have snatched 2.5 times his body weight Beat that!! Also He is the only weightlifter to date to clean and jerk 10 kilos more than triple his bodyweight
@@ieod-ri2zp everyone else used/use steroids, till today, if nobody ever used steroids and everyone competed clean, Naim would still be number one, and every current champion would still be a champion
Nice video and thank you. But not one mention to Vasily Alekseyev?? The man who set up the world record something like 80 times? I think he should be in that list.
Piros is 100% Greek north ipiros in today’s Albania is a Greek land he’s parents are Greek he’s village is Greek . In second war world we lost this land and Albanians took it so the Greeks are in Albania as natives minority.
Βασικα ειναι μισος-μισος αλλα αυτο δεν το λενε ουτε οι αλβανοι αλλα ουτε και οι Ελληνες. Βεβαια οταν πηγε με το ΠΑΣΟΚ τα ξεπερασε ολα αυτα. Τωρα ειναι πολιτης του κοσμου ;)
Leave it to petty politicians to ruin what athletes trained for years to accomplish. Jimmy Carter did it in 1980 after the Russian excursion into Afghanistan. Then, in 1984, the Soviets and the Warsaw Pact did it to "get even" with the American boycott.
Pyrros is Greek. His family was Greek. He was from south Albania or northern hiperus which should be Greek but doesn't. So don't ever say again he is Albanian. In an interview he himself admits that he is absolutely clean Greek guy!
@@bonesh0ckerz I see what you`re saying. But it is more complicated than that. Please check how Sinclair Coefficient is calculated in weight-lifting, then you will understand what I`m saying
Weightlifting is all about lifting heavy weights and in a list of the best weightlifters you did not include any heavyweight lifters?!? What about Vasily Alekseyev? Yury Zakharevich? Lasha Talakhadze?...
Pyrros is Greek and Naim was Turk. Pyros is Greek born in Albania and Naim was Turk born in Bulgaria its so simple man, you have a channel and you make a video about weightlifting its a simple source in wikipedia......
In the history of the olympics, Pyrros was the most successful with three gold and one bronze. Naim was an athletic monster, naturally gifted. Both gigantic figures in the sport.
I believe he was the greatest talent the sport has ever seen. To be that dominant to be comparable to lifters of the drug assisted era with drastically shorter training history in a far inferior system to the Soviet and Bulgarian systems of the 80’s must mean he had the most talent of all time.
Don't kid yourself. I don't know if Tommy took performance enhancing drugs during his reign, but they were around, including dianabol. Later on, drug use became more widespread and sophisticated.
Lasha didn't make your list, but he is coming for it. He just won his second Olympic title, beating the second place finisher by 47 kilos and breaking all 3 world records in the division(held by himself). I hope he can keep up and go for 4 Olympic titles to make himself the undisputed GOAT of the sport.
Yeah. I'm glad he's not on lists yet because he's not even close to being done. When he hits the mythical 500kg thats when we can safely say he is GOAT
@@IamJacksColon4 I know there are talks about that, but as far as I know not decided yet. It it happens, that will be criminal. They are adding sports like surfing and skateboard, but banning weightlifting? That's bullshit, but I understand that it might happen, because they almost banned classic wrestling a sport that was even part of the actual ancient Greek Olympics.
In the next 100 years or so, a very long and athletic guy might break Bolt's record of 9.58. But there's no chance that a guy of 60 kgs can lift 190 kgs in c/j forever. Such world records differ from other world records definitely. A third probably unbrrakable world record is Flo Jo's 10.49. Naim and Flo Jo broke these records in the same olympic games (Seoul 88), 35 years ago.
3 times your own body weight plus 10 kg , Naim belongs on the number one spott and just there. The GOAT. The olympics in 1996 with his greek friend pushing each other for me was the best competion ever.
Which school is the Best?!? Little Bulgaria and Bulgarian Olimpic champions : Galabin Boevski 2000, Borislav Gidikov 1988,Milen Dobrev 2004,Asen Zlatev 1980,Ivan Ivanov 1992,Jordan Bikov 1972,Sevdalin Marinov 1988,Jordan Mitkov 1976,Andon Nikolov 1972,Norair Norikuan 1972,1976,Ianko Rusev 1980. Аs well as many world and european champions, including Naim Suleimanoglu( Bulgaria, Turkey) and Halil Mutlu(Bulgaria, Turkey), all product of Bulgarian school and The Best coach in The World - IVAN ABADZIEV.
Pound for Pound Yurik Vardanyan is the GOAT. In the 1980 Olympics he total 400KG won Gold the 82KG, and would have also won gold IN the 90KG and the 100KG. Its never been done again Current world records total 81KG/ 378kg, 89kg/ 392kg 96kg / 416Kg. Even now Yuriks record of 417kg would hold the 81, 89 and also 96kg Who comes close to him?? No one
@@theaccordian9377 Maybe so, and Naim is rightly one of the greatest ever, but Yurik was not allowed to participate in Olympics after Soviet games (Politics) and his 1980 world record scores would have won him 3 Gold medal in different divisions, that my friend NO ONE has been able to achieve to date.
dimas is from the greek village of chimara from greek parents went to greek schooll ,as Naim is Turk born in a foreign land BUT the village Dimas was born in Albania is recognized Greek village by the same treaty that "orders" Albania , unlike Naim;s town which is Bulgarian , so its unfair to say Naim Turkish and Dimas Albanian ... in 2004 he was also injured
Lasha cannot be on this list because he is way above it already. No human in the history of the sport was able to achieve his monstrous total of 484kg. As an example, the snatch over 215kg was lifted 11 times in history, 9 out of those by Lasha. If it wasn't for pandemic he already would have racked up another Olympic gold, the World and Euro.
In my humble opinion Lasha is a talented lifter. He's done things nobody else has ever achieved in the superheavyweight class. On the other hand, it's a bit early to declare him the greatest of all time, don't you think? Putting him over names like Alexeev, Taranenko, Kurlovich, Pisarenko, Krastev, Welker, Chemerkin, Botev, Marchokov and so on... What's the point of that? Lasha had no serious competition to face since the Rio Olympics. As for that list, in my humble opinion its value is questionable at best. It is that way because many talented lifters are missing. Where are the Soviet and Bulgarian lifters of the 1970s? The lifters of the 1960s? Not a single Bulgarian lifter of the 1980s. Except for Naim of course. Do not neglect the Soviet and Bulgarian weightlifting teams of the 1980s. Back then there was real competition in the different weight classes. The only unbeatable man was the late Naim Suleimanoglu. Speaking of interesting weightlifting in the superheavyweight class, have in mind the following. 1987 World Championships. 1996 Olympics. 1999 World championships. 2000 Olympics. 2008 Olympics. Making such a list is a waste of time because all the lifters of the past and the present have grown in quite different conditions. The rules have even changed. List of banned substances. Of this particular list one thing is for certain. Halil Mutlu and Naim Suleimanoglu are, two legends of the sport, have become what they are today thanks to the Bulgarian specialists and mostly Ivan Abadzhiev and Enver Turkileri (Tolumov).
Just watched your video about Ilya, you said that he can't be considered because he took PEDs, yet every single person you list here almost certainly also took PEDs. They just didn't get caught. Had Ilya not been caught you'd have put him on this list without a doubt.
How does Lasha get excluded from this list. I think before his career is over and done he will move into second or third all time. He has completely changed the game in the 109+ category. His snatch weight is 9kg more than the next closest human being! (Just shy of 20lbs)…also his top C&J is 267kg! Next closest in history is 264kg. He’s a monster and people speak about his size being his great strength, but to have the level of mobility he has in a 6’6” (1.83m) frame is absolutely ridiculous. His dominance in the 109+kg weight class cannot be overstated.
Aloha from Hawaii, Sir: Thank you for sharing the top 6 male world wide Olympic Weightlifters of all the time. I am glad you based on performance on the world and olympic level, and base on "pound for pound" in their respected classes. It nice you have included Tommy Kono from Hawaii on your list, and the only American to excel in his time. I had the pleasure to have Tomny Kono train in those hay days, and the endless stories and inspirations he shared with us. Aloha and Take Care!
The thing is that the Bulgarian Turks were kidnapped from Bulgaria by the turkish government, non of them wanted to leave bulgaria, all of them we treated like equals to the native people
They did not want to their lands. Bulgaria's politics forced those people left from there. I have seen this people kimseden the soil when they came to Türkiye. So Dont talk about equality.
Dimas May have won more medals But you need to understand that Naim Retired a few times during his career and was begged to come back. He would of won Gold in 1984 if Bulgaria participated and his heart was not in it in 2000 as he got ahead of himself with minimal training and a optimistic snatch weight. He lifted 3x his body weight so many times at 17 years old!. The Man was a legend and I was blessed to meet him as my father was part of the crew In Melbourne who helped him defect to Turkey. Great video .May he rest in peace
Naim was a lifting machine. To the manner born, as they say. I recall Issac Berger's world record of 336 pounds in the clean and jerk in the same weight class (60k). Berger did that in Tokyo in 1964, and it stood for a number of years. Drug use was prevalent then, though not what it became later on. By the way, Miyake did the same weight at those Olympics but Berger did it first and therefore was credited with the world record.
I can see why you didn't mention him bc he hasn't won as many Olympic gold medals, yet. But Lasha undoubtedly has to be on this list. The biggest total ever posted, by far. Routinely beats almost every other Olympic gold total in training. Unbeaten since 2015.
just to appreciate Naim vs Lasha, Lasha is 183 kg powerful man, but his clean and jerk record is 267 kg, less than 1.5 times body weight, to achieve what Naim has achieved he has to lift 550 kg clean and jerk, his total is under 500kg, the man said: pound for pound, how much weight each KG of muscle could carry
If Kakhi was ethnically Greek he would have been on the same place as Dimas. Dude won 3 olympic gold medals and 3 world championships as well. With multiple world records..
Some greeks in the comments got butthurt when you said Pirros was Albanian but you clearly mention that he is of Greek descent so there really was not that big of a problem.
What a hate on Naim. The guy almost died weeks before he lifted the 190kg. Docs said he could not go but he did. And he also lifted more than 200kg in training. Do not come with roids etc. ALL OF THEM USED AND STILL USE ROIDS.
I would have picked Vardanian before Dimas , unfortunately the 1984 CCCP boycott ruled out Olympics for him outwith his control. pound per pound he beats Dimas and many others ,🏋️💪
Maybe do some reasearch before posting a video, a simple wikipedia search would be enough to know that Pyrros Dimas belonged in Greek minority of Albania and the only country he ever saw as his own was Greece, he didnt change his allegiance to anything.