Said Saif Asaad (born Angel Popov ( bg, Ангел Попов; May 31, 1979 in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
), is a
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
i
weightlifter
Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lif ...
who competed in the Men's 105 kg weight class at the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
and won a bronze medal.
One of eight
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
weightlifters recruited by the
Qatar Olympic Committee
Qatar Olympic Committee ( ar, اللجنة الأولمبية القطرية, IOC code: QAT) is the National Olympic Committee representing Qatar.
History
The QOC was formed in 1979 and was granted full recognition by the International Olympic C ...
, Asaad became a Qatari citizen to represent the country in the 2000 Olympics, his old name, Angel Popov, being left behind in the process. Qatar has been known for recruiting sportspeople from other countries, the most notable example being world-class runner
Saif Saaeed Shaheen
Saif Saaeed Shaheen ( ar, سيف سعيد شاهين), formerly Stephen Cherono (born 15 October 1982), is a steeplechase runner. He was born in Keiyo, Kenya but now he represents Qatar. He currently holds the world record for 3000 metre steep ...
.
After moving to Asia, Asaad has become Asian champion twice as well as winning the
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 � ...
. He is also the 2003 world champion.
Later he competed at the
2004 Summer Olympics, but finished without a result.
Notes and references
External links
Athens 2004 participant bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asaad, Said Saif
1979 births
Living people
Qatari male weightlifters
Bulgarian emigrants to Qatar
Bulgarian male weightlifters
Weightlifters at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Olympic weightlifters of Qatar
Olympic bronze medalists for Qatar
Olympic medalists in weightlifting
Asian Games medalists in weightlifting
Naturalised citizens of Qatar
Weightlifters at the 2002 Asian Games
Weightlifters at the 2006 Asian Games
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Asian Games gold medalists for Qatar
Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games
Converts to Islam from Eastern Orthodoxy
World Weightlifting Championships medalists