Turan Mirzayev (; born September 24, 1979, in

Lankaran Lankaran (, ) or Lánkon () is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a disti ...

) is an

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

weightlifter Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...

. He is a three-time Olympian and a two-time medalist for the 69 kg class at the

European Weightlifting Championships European Weightlifting Championships is an annual event organised by the European Weightlifting Federation (EWF). It has been held since 1896. A separate event for women was held from 1988 to 1997, after which both championships have been held ...

(

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is a List of towns in Slovakia, city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech Republic, Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a populati ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

, and

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

Loutraki, Greece Loutraki () is a seaside resort on the Gulf of Corinth, in Corinthia, Greece. It is located west of Athens and northeast of Corinth. Loutraki is the seat of the municipality Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi. The town is known for its vas ...

). Mirzayev made his official debut for the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, where he hauled 327.5 kilograms in total for a ninth-place finish in the men's lightweight class (69 kg). Following his further successes from the European Championships, Mirzayev was considered a top medal contender for his division at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. Unfortunately, he missed out his Olympic medal shot when he lifted a total of 332.5 kg in the 69 kg category, finishing only in fourth place by five kilograms short of Croatia's

Nikolaj Pešalov Nikolay Peshalov (; born on May 30, 1970) is a Bulgarians in Croatia, Bulgarian-born Croatian Olympic Games, Olympic and World former champion in Olympic weightlifting, weightlifting. During his long and successful career, Pešalov was World ...

(337.5 kg). At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, Mirzayev competed for his third consecutive time in the men's 69 kg class, along with his fellow weightlifter

Afgan Bayramov Afgan Bayramov (born 14 October 1983) is an Azerbaijani weightlifter. He competed for Azerbaijan at the 2008 Summer Olympics where he finished seventh and the 2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of ...

. Mirzayev placed fifth in this event, as he successfully lifted 146 kg in the single-motion snatch, and hoisted 181 kg in the two-part, shoulder-to-overhead

clean and jerk The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the ''clean'', the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without rest ...

, for a total of 327 kg.

References

External links

NBC 2008 Olympics profile
Azerbaijani male weightlifters 1979 births Living people Olympic weightlifters for Azerbaijan Weightlifters at the 2000 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2008 Summer Olympics People from Lankaran European Weightlifting Championships medalists World Weightlifting Championships medalists 20th-century Azerbaijani people 21st-century Azerbaijani sportsmen {{Azerbaijan-weightlifting-bio-stub