IWF World Weightlifter of the Year
Men
Table:
Year

Winner

Country

Ref

1982
Blagoy Blagoev
Bulgaria
[1]

1983
Blagoy Blagoev
Bulgaria
[1]

1984
Naim Suleymanov
Bulgaria
[1]

1985
Naum Shalamanov
Bulgaria
[1]

1986
Naum Shalamanov
Bulgaria
[1]

1987
Mikhail Petrov
Bulgaria
[1]

1988
Naim Süleymanoğlu
Turkey
[1]

1989
Ivan Ivanov
Bulgaria
[1]

1990
Ivan Ivanov
Bulgaria
[1]

1991
Chun Byung-kwan
South Korea
[1]

1992
Naim Süleymanoğlu
Turkey
[1]

1993
Nikolay Peshalov
Bulgaria
[1]

1994
Aleksey Petrov
Russia
[1]

1995
Pyrros Dimas
Greece
[1]

1996
Naim Süleymanoğlu
Turkey
[1]

1997
Andrey Chemerkin
Russia
[1]

1998
Plamen Zhelyazkov
Bulgaria
[1]

1999
Halil Mutlu
Turkey
[1]

2000
Hossein Rezazadeh
Iran
[1]

2001
Halil Mutlu
Turkey
[1]

With reference to the tabular data plus the context snippets provided.

Give the answer to the question: Between 1976 and 1984 , a retired weightlifter from Europe 's 16th largest country won how many medals total from all competitions ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Blagoy Blagoev ( Bulgarian : Благой Благоев , born December 4 , 1956 ) is a retired Bulgarian weightlifter . Between 1976 and 1984 he claimed seven gold and five silver medals at the Summer Olympics and world and European championships . Though he was later disqualified and stripped of the title and medal at the 1976 Olympics and his 1980 Olympic Games medal is controversial . He later coached the Australian Paralympic Powerlifting Team in the 1990s to early 2000s . Blagoev was disqualified and stripped of the title and medal at the 1976 Olympics along with his Bulgarian teammate Valentin Hristov for anabolic steroid use . Because the IOC had not yet established the lifetime ban of athletes who cheated using PEDs at the Olympics , the Bulgarian was allowed to participate at the 1980 Olympic Games . The controversial Games in Moscow Russia is still the only modern Olympic Games in history where no one in the entire Summer Games tested positive for the use of alcohol , stimulants , or PEDs .
Bulgaria ( /bʌlˈɡɛəriə , bʊl-/ ( listen ) ; Bulgarian : България , romanized : Balgariya ) , officially the Republic of Bulgaria ( Bulgarian : Република България , romanized : Republika Balgariya , IPA : [ rɛˈpublikɐ bɐɫˈɡarijɐ ] ) , is a country in Southeast Europe . It is bordered by Romania to the north , Serbia and North Macedonia to the west , Greece and Turkey to the south , and the Black Sea to the east . The capital and largest city is Sofia ; other major cities are Plovdiv , Varna and Burgas . With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres ( 42,855 sq mi ) , Bulgaria is Europe 's 16th-largest country . One of the earliest societies in the lands of modern-day Bulgaria was the Neolithic Karanovo culture , which dates back to 6,500 BC . In the 6th to 3rd century BC the region was a battleground for Thracians , Persians , Celts and ancient Macedonians ; stability came when the Roman Empire conquered the region in AD 45 . The Eastern Roman , or Byzantine , Empire lost some of these territories to an invading Bulgar horde in the late 7th century . The Bulgars founded the First Bulgarian Empire in AD 681 , which dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influenced Slavic cultures by developing the Cyrillic script . This state lasted until the early 11th century , when Byzantine emperor Basil II conquered and dismantled it . A successful Bulgarian revolt in 1185 established a Second Bulgarian Empire , which reached its apex under Ivan Asen II ( 1218-1241 ) . After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife , the Second Bulgarian Empire disintegrated in 1396 and its territories fell under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries . The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 resulted in the formation of the current Third Bulgarian State .
Naim Süleymanoğlu ( 23 January 1967 - 18 November 2017 ) was a Turkish world and Olympic Champion in weightlifting , who was nicknamed The Pocket Hercules because of his small stature of 1.47 m ( 4 ft 10 in ) . In the 1988 Summer Olympics , he set a record by lifting 190 kg in the clean and jerk . He was awarded the Olympic Order in 2001 . In 2000 and 2004 , he was elected a member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame . Süleymanoğlu is the first and only weightlifter to have snatched 2.5 times his body weight and also is the second of only seven lifters to date to clean and jerk three times his body weight . He is the only weightlifter to date to clean and jerk 10 kilos more than triple his bodyweight . So he is widely considered as the best pound for pound weightlifter of all time . After his death , a movie was made for Süleymanoğlu , called Cep Herkülü : Naim Süleymanoğlu . Released in November 22 , 2019 in Turkey . This movie is about his life and his career .
Mikhail Petrov Petrov ( Bulgarian : Михаил Петров Петров ; 6 January 1965 - 1993 ) was a Bulgarian weightlifter who competed in the 1980s . He won three World and one European championships . He set four world records in the 67.5 kg weight class . Petrov died unexpectedly in 1993 after not waking from anesthesia .
Turkey ( Turkish : Türkiye [ ˈtyɾcije ] ) , officially the Republic of Turkey ( Turkish : Türkiye Cumhuriyeti [ ˈtyɾcije dʒumˈhuːɾijeti ] ( listen ) ) , is a transcontinental country located mostly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia , with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe . East Thrace , the part of Turkey in Europe , is separated from Anatolia by the Sea of Marmara , the Bosporus and the Dardanelles ( collectively called the Turkish Straits ) . Istanbul , mostly located on the European side , is the largest city in the country while Ankara is the capital . Turkey is bordered by Greece and Bulgaria to its northwest , the Black Sea to its north , Georgia to its northeast , Armenia , the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to its east , Iraq and Syria to its southeast , the Mediterranean Sea to its south , and the Aegean Sea to its west . Approximately 70 to 80 percent of the country 's citizens identify as Turkish , while Kurds are the largest minority at anywhere from 15 to 20 percent of the population . At various points in its history , the region has been inhabited by diverse civilisations including the Assyrians , Greeks , Thracians , Phrygians , Urartians , and Armenians . Hellenization started during the era of Alexander the Great and continued into the Byzantine era . The Seljuk Turks began migrating into the area in the 11th century , and their victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 symbolises the start and foundation of Turkey . The Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm ruled Anatolia until the Mongol invasion in 1243 , when it disintegrated into small principalities called beyliks . Beginning in the late 13th century , the Ottomans started uniting beyliks and conquering the Balkans . After Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 , Ottoman expansion continued under Selim I . During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent the Ottoman Empire encompassed much of Southeast Europe , West Asia and North Africa and became a world power .
Ivan Ivanov Ivanov ( Bulgarian : Иван Иванов Иванов , born 27 August 1971 in Shumen ) is a Bulgarian former weightlifter and current head coach of the national Bulgarian weightlifting teams . He claimed one gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games , four time World Champion , and five time European Champion .
Chun Byung-kwan ( Hangul : 전병관 ; born November 4 , 1969 in Jinan , Jeollabuk-do ) was an Olympic weightlifter for South Korea .
South Korea ( Korean : 한국/韓國 ; RR : Hanguk or literally 남한/南韓 ; RR : Namhan ) , officially the Republic of Korea ( Korean : 대한민국/大韓民國 ; RR : Daehan Minguk ) is a country in East Asia , constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea . The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo , which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time , ruling most of the Korean Peninsula , Manchuria , parts of the Russian Far East and Inner Mongolia under Gwanggaeto the Great . Its capital , Seoul , is a major global city and half of South Korea 's over 51 million people live in the Seoul Capital Area , the fourth largest metropolitan economy in the world . The Korean Peninsula was inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic period . Its first kingdom was noted in Chinese records in the early 7th century BC . Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea into Silla and Balhae in the late 7th century , Korea was ruled by the Goryeo dynasty ( 918-1392 ) and the Joseon dynasty ( 1392-1897 ) . The succeeding Korean Empire was annexed into the Empire of Japan in 1910 . After World War II , Korea was divided into Soviet and U.S.-administered zones , with the latter becoming the Republic of Korea in August 1948 . In 1950 , a North Korean invasion began the Korean War and after its end in 1953 , the country 's economy began to soar , recording the fastest rise in average GDP per capita in the world between 1980 and 1990 . Authoritarian rule ended in 1987 and the country is now the most advanced democracy with the highest level of press freedom in Asia . South Korea is a member of the OECD 's Development Assistance Committee , the G20 and the Paris Club . South Korea is a highly developed country and the world 's 12th-largest economy by nominal GDP .
Nikolaj Pešalov ( Bulgarian : Николай Славев Пешалов , Nikolay Slavev Peshalov ; born on May 30 , 1970 in Vetren , Bulgaria ) is an Olympic and World former champion in weightlifting . For the first part of his career he competed under the Bulgarian flag , but later moved to Croatia which he represented internationally . During his long and successful career , Pešalov was World champion eight times in various categories and disciplines , and broke several world records . His Olympic medals are split between Bulgaria ( 1992 and 1996 ) and Croatia ( 2000 and 2004 ) . In 2000 he was granted Croatian citizenship , and he now holds besides Bulgarian , a Croatian passport . He resides in both Sofia ( Bulgaria ) and Split ( Croatia ) .
Aleksei Aleksandrovich Petrov ( Russian : Алексей Александрович Петров ; born 8 September 1974 ) is a retired Russian weightlifter . He had his peak performance in 1994 , when he won the European and world titles and set four world records : one in the snatch , two in the clean and jerk , and one in the total . In 1996 , he won gold in the 91 kg ( 201 lb ) class at the 1996 Olympics and set his second world record in the snatch . At the 2000 Olympics he finished third in the 94 kg ( 207 lb ) class . His last international success was a European gold achieved in 2002 . The Russian Olympic Committee selected younger competitors in favor of Petrov for the 2004 Olympics , partly because of his injuries , excessive weight , and a failed drug test . Meanwhile , his season best was 10 kg ( 22 lb ) higher than the gold medal result at those Olympics . Petrov graduated from the Volgograd Academy of Physical Education . His weightlifting idol was David Rigert , and his first coaches were his father and elder brother . In 2004 he got engaged , had a daughter born the following year and officially retired from competition in 2006 . In 2009 , he became deputy director of sport administration of Volgograd .
Russia ( Russian : Росси́я , tr . Rossiya , IPA : [ rɐˈsʲijə ] ) , or the Russian Federation , [ e ] is a European country located in Eastern Europe with a vast expanse of territory that stretches across Northern Asia . At 17,125,200 square kilometres ( 6,612,100 sq mi ) , it is by far the largest country in the world by area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , spanning eleven time zones , and bordering 16 sovereign nations . The territory of Russia extends from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east , and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south . With 146.7 million inhabitants living in the country 's 85 federal subjects as of 2020 , Russia is the most populous nation in Europe and the ninth-most populous nation in the world . Russia 's capital and largest city is Moscow ; other major urban areas include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod , Kazan and Chelyabinsk . The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states , until it was finally reunified by the Grand Duchy of Moscow in the 15th century . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east . Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic ( Russian SFSR ) became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( USSR/Soviet Union ) , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state .
Pyrros Dimas ( Greek : Πύρρος Δήμας ; pronounced [ piros ðimas ] ; born 13 October 1971 ) is a Greek former weightlifter . He is currently the technical director for USA Weightlifting , having taken that position in June 2017 . Dimas has also been involved in politics as a member of the Greek parliament , representing the Panhellenic Socialist Movement from 2012 to 2015 . Dimas is the most decorated Greek athlete in the Olympics and is widely considered as one of the greatest weightlifters of all time , having been three times Olympic Gold Medalist ( in his fourth Olympiad , a knee injury notwithstanding , he won the Bronze medal ) , and three times World Champion .
Greece ( Greek : Ελλάδα ) , officially the Hellenic Republic ( Greek : Ελληνική Δημοκρατία ) , historically also known as Hellas , is a country located in Southeast Europe . Its population is approximately 10.7 million as of 2018 ; Athens , the nation 's capital , is its largest city , followed by Thessaloniki . Situated on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula , Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe , Asia , and Africa . It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest , North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north , and Turkey to the northeast . The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland , the Ionian Sea to the west , the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km ( 8,498 mi ) in length , featuring many islands , of which 227 are inhabited . Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous , with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres ( 9,573 ft ) . The country consists of nine traditional geographic regions : Macedonia , Central Greece , the Peloponnese , Thessaly , Epirus , the Aegean Islands ( including the Dodecanese and Cyclades ) , Thrace , Crete , and the Ionian Islands . Greece is considered the cradle of Western civilisation , being the birthplace of democracy , Western philosophy , Western literature , historiography , political science , major scientific and mathematical principles , Western drama and the Olympic Games . From the eighth century B.C. , the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states , known as poleis ( singular polis ) , which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea . Philip of Macedon united most of the Greek mainland in the fourth century BC , with his son Alexander the Great rapidly conquering much of the ancient world , from the eastern Mediterranean to India . Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century B.C. , becoming an integral part of the Roman Empire and its successor , the Byzantine Empire , which adopted the Greek language and culture .
Andrey Ivanovich Chemerkin ( Russian : Андрей Иванович Чемеркин , born February 17 , 1972 ) is a former Russian weightlifter . Chemerkin was a gold medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics , and a bronze medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics . Andrei had a birthweight of 12,6 lbs ( 5,7 kg ) and is to this day the heaviest weightlifter ever to win a World Championship .
Plamen Jelyazkov ( original name : Пламен Желязков , born ( 1972-05-14 ) 14 May 1972 in Asenovgrad ) is a Bulgarian male weightlifter , competing in the 77 kg category and representing Bulgaria at international competitions . He participated at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the 70 kg event . He competed at world championships , most recently at the 2003 World Weightlifting Championships . Zhelyazkov became IWF World Weightlifter of the Year in 1998 . He set five world records in the lightweight and middleweight classes from 1998-2002 - three in the snatch and two in the total .
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 . 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 . At the 1999 World Championships he beat silver medal winner Adrian Jigău by around 20 kg and set a new world record . 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 . 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 .
Hossein Rezazadeh ( Persian : حسین رضازاده , born 12 May 1978 ) is an Iranian politician and retired Olympic weightlifter . Rezazadeh is a two-time Olympic champion , four-time World Weightlifting champion , and five-time Asian champion . Rezazadeh has won the Iran Sportsperson of the Year award four times , more than any other athlete in the country 's history .
Iran ( Persian : ایران Irān [ ʔiːˈɾɒːn ] ( listen ) ) , also called Persia , and officially the Islamic Republic of Iran ( Persian : جمهوری اسلامی ایران Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān ( listen ) [ dʒomhuːˌɾije eslɒːˌmije ʔiːˈɾɒn ] ) , is a country in Western Asia . With 82 million inhabitants , Iran is the world 's 18th most populous country . Its territory spans 1,648,195 km2 ( 636,372 sq mi ) , making it the second largest country in the Middle East and the 17th largest in the world . Iran is bordered to the northwest by Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan , [ a ] to the north by the Caspian Sea , to the northeast by Turkmenistan , to the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan , to the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman , and to the west by Turkey and Iraq . Its central location in Eurasia and Western Asia , and its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz , give it geostrategic importance . Tehran is the political and economic center of Iran , and the largest and most populous city in Western Asia with more than 8.8 million residents in the city and 15 million in the larger metropolitan area . Iran is home to one of the world 's oldest civilizations , beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BCE . It was first unified by the Iranian Medes in the seventh century BCE , and reached its territorial height in the sixth century BCE under Cyrus the Great , whose Achaemenid Empire stretched from Eastern Europe to the Indus Valley , one of the largest empires in history . The empire fell to Alexander the Great in the fourth century BCE and was divided into several Hellenistic states . An Iranian rebellion established the Parthian Empire in the third century BCE , which was succeeded in the third century CE by the Sasanian Empire , a leading world power for the next four centuries . Arab Muslims conquered the empire in the seventh century CE , and the subsequent Islamization of Iran led to the decline of the once dominant Zoroastrian religion . Iran 's major contributions to art , philosophy , and science spread throughout the Muslim world and beyond during the Islamic Golden Age .