Posted on 08/26/2004 12:04:59 AM PDT by Khashayar
ATHENS -- Behroz Loroun was in the stands for the coronation and wanted something known. "You know how many eggs he eats in the morning for breakfast?" Loroun demanded. "Twenty! He eats 20 eggs in the morning!"
That's another piece of humongous minutiae that makes up the resume of Hossein Rezazadeh.
He has nicknames: the Iranian Hercules; the Strongest Man on Earth.
He has buzz: His wedding in 2003 was televised nationally in Iran.
He has star power: He competes in a seven-team professional weightlifting league in Iran, where his matches are watched by 10,000 people.
He has girth: He stands 6-1 and weighs 353 pounds.
He has Q rating: A branch of Iran's state bank was renamed for him.
He has wealth: After he won the Olympic super-heavyweight gold medal in Sydney in 2000, Turkey reportedly offered him $10 million, luxury housing, cars and bonuses to change citizenship and represent the Turks. After Turkey made its offer, Iran counteroffered: a car, a plot of land on an island, the honorary title of Champion of Champions, and free medical insurance for life for him and his family.
Rezazadeh stayed.
So now he has undying love, to go along with the admiration of a nation of weightlifting fanatics.
"He didn't take it," Iranian citizen Arash Zamayen said fiercely of Turkey's offer. "That shows you his heart is in the right place. He's not like the Bulgarians, who sell themselves for money to Qatar."
Rezazadeh got something else last night that might cause all those other bounties to multiply again: a second gold medal.
Rezazadeh lorded over the super-heavyweight division for the second consecutive Olympiad, winning the gold medal at Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall. He won in style: with a world- record 263.5 kilograms (579.7 pounds) in the clean and jerk on the last lift of the night, which sent the pro-Irani, pro-Rezazadeh crowd into a near-frenzy.
Flags waved and fluttered and found themselves wrapped around Irani shoulders like capes. People screamed and laughed and danced in their seats. People proudly displayed T-shirts with his likeness in the form of a postage stamp.
Rezazadeh smiled. He knelt before the weight bar, raised his hands in triumph, then stood and bowed to all three sections of the arena. Then he kissed the flag of Iran on the front of his jersey, as he did after every successful lift.
"An Olympic medal is a precious thing to acquire and maintain," Rezazadeh said, his Persian translated into Greek and then to English. "It's important for me and my country. I trained very hard for it and Allah helped me."
Actually, his fans thought they made a difference. "We're showing him we love him so he can get more power," said Loroun, who comes from Rezazadeh's hometown of Arbadil and lives in Athens.
Rezazadeh surpassed his own world record for overall weight with 473.5 kilograms (1,041.7 pounds), but will not get credit because additions to records must be in intervals of 2.5 kilograms. But his fans seem more taken with other virtues. Such as the time he auctioned off the vest he wore when he became world champion to raise money for orphans of the Bam earthquake in December 2003. The vest netted $40,000.
"He is a great sports figure, someone who the people can look up to in sports and out of sports, he's a national hero," Arash Zamayen said. "He has won so much and is such a kind man. Also, his head hasn't been big enough. He's down to earth and kind and he's still a champion."
In the streets of Tehran, Amir Izadi said, "He couldn't walk, people just adore him."
Rezazadeh, who loves to perform and smiles broadly while suspending impossible weights over his head, is balm for a sport that has had nine of its athletes test positive for drugs at the Athens Games.
But he cows opponents.
"As far as winning the gold medal, I didn't even think about that. That was unrealistic. That is what he is, essentially unbeatable," said Bulgaria's Velichko Colakov, who won the bronze medal with 447.5 kilograms (984.5 pounds).
"I think it was a good performance," Rezazadeh said. "I came filled with strength."
And eggs.
I watched this part of the competition, and this man deserves all the credit he gets.
Just like the Greek Female track runner. She ran her heart out, and won the race. FAIR AND SQUARE, for herself, and her country.
This is what the OLYMPICS is about (to me). Not the good or bad judges, the drugs, the dirty laundry.
It is about the pride EACH NATION THAT PARTICIPATES feels when their team member(s) WIN. It is a place where all nations have a fair CHANCE to WIN a medal and feel that pride!
Exactly. And he made us proud to be Iranian...
Another good story on him
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002015688_olyblai26.html
Gold medalist Hossein Reza Zadeh of Iran lifts 581 pounds (263.5 kg) for a world record in the clean and jerk during the men's over 231 lb (+105 kg) event at the Nikaia Olympic Weightlifting Hall during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Wednesday Aug. 25, 2004. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
After the way Iran acted during Tae Kwon Do when their athlete drew a Jew to fight, they should have been kicked out of the Olympics.
You say in one breath that the Olympics "It is about the pride EACH NATION THAT PARTICIPATES feels when their team member(s) WIN. It is a place where all nations have a fair CHANCE to WIN a medal and feel that pride!" What chance did the Israeli have to win a medal when the person he was to meet refused to compete?
If the Olympics is about athletic competition and pride in ones country, that would be perfect, however the pathetic way Iran treated another competitor in these same games tells me they don't care about fair competition or fair play.
Hmmmm, the Mullahs did not let our Judo kai to compete. I was sure he could defeat that Israeli judo kai.
Our soccer team defeated Israel too many times before 1979 revolution.
I don't care if Alah himself told him not to compete against a Jew. The fact is this is the Olympics and that means you compete against other athletes around the world. No competitor has the right, or should have the right to say I'm not competing against a specific person because of their religion.
And what does soccer have to do with Tae Know Do?
I disagree, he does not deserve praise since he should not have been allowed to compete at all. As long as Iran stands behind their belief that it is ok to not compete against certain other athletes because of their religion, nobody from Iran should be allowed in the games.
Btw, I'd feel this way if any athlete did the same and their country stood up for them, including the US.
Congratulations to Rezazadeh and the Iranian Olympic Team.
First of all I am happy he is present there!
2nd why you defend Israelis? Let them talk about this.
3rd I think you are angry because your weightlifter did nothing there and is defeated.
4th, it was Judo and it is different with Tae KWON Do!
5th, by soccer, I meant that we, muslimss, have had no problem to compete with the jews. But under this leadership, we are not allowed to fight the Israelis on sport fields.
I doubt it!
Obviously you're happy he's there, I'm not happy that Iran was allowed to continue participation at the Olympics after their little show.
2nd why you defend Israelis? Let them talk about this.
Why do you defend refusing to participate in International games simply because a person is a different religion?
3rd I think you are angry because your weightlifter did nothing there and is defeated.
Israel isn't my country, I'm an American and cheer for my countrymen. If anyone on the American side said they would not compete against a Jew simply because he was a Jew and the US backed that athlete, I'd feel the exact same way. Right is right.
4th, it was Judo and it is different with Tae KWON Do!
Amazingly, you did get one thing right. Still doesn't not explain what soccer has to do with a martial arts competition.
5th, by soccer, I meant that we, muslimss, have had no problem to compete with the jews. But under this leadership, we are not allowed to fight the Israelis on sport fields.
Then you should not even bother going to International sporting events unless you are willing to compete against EVERYONE. Period, end of discussion. Sorry your religion has such hatred for Jews, that doesn't mean you get to demonstrate it at an international level.
Why do you defend refusing to participate in International games simply because a person is a different religion?
I don't like what the mullahs do in Iran and I dont defend them. I defend my countryman who was obliged to decline the competetion.
Israel isn't my country, I'm an American and cheer for my countrymen. If anyone on the American side said they would not compete against a Jew simply because he was a Jew and the US backed that athlete, I'd feel the exact same way. Right is right.
If it is not your country, leave it to Israelis to defend & talk Plz.
Sorry your religion has such hatred for Jews, that doesn't mean you get to demonstrate it at an international level.
I do not have any problem with the Jews. I don't know if other people have but me not, that is why I am on the most right wing forum of America. And better check my profile! Israeli president is an Iranian, so is their defence minister.
I don't know that the weightlifter was in on the Jew hating, do you?
I remember Americans holding up the BLACK POWER SALUTE, years ago. Was that repugnant to other countries?
Some of our team members have been taking drugs. How do other countries look at us because of that?
What chance did the Israeli have to win a medal when the person he was to meet refused to compete?
I didn't see this, so I will go on your info. If a country's champion refused to compete, did he not forfeit? I do not understand. The Israeli should have won a medal in that case. Tell me what I am missing about this subject so I can understand your concern.
As I stated in my post, it was my opinion that the Olympics was a fair forum for athletic ability, proving that ability over others, and a country having pride in that. Nothing is perfect,however, as we are imperfect in this world. There are always cheaters and whiners and racists.
(to disparage about the bad of the Olympics is to support that tactic. I always feel it is better to go with the "half full" glass. You have a right to your position, and if there was an injustice, help pursue and eliminate it so the Olympics is the one bright spot in a world of darkness. One candle......
Damn. Wish I had your brevity.
That I can't stop Iranians from competing does not mean I will not continue to speak out against them, or any other country/athlete who refuses to compete against another person, based on religion, in international competition.
I don't like what the mullahs do in Iran and I dont defend them. I defend my countryman who was obliged to decline the competetion.
And by doing that you are not only defending the mullahs, you are defending hatred towards Jews, predjuice towards them and going against what is supposed to be the spirit of the Olympics.
If it is not your country, leave it to Israelis to defend & talk Plz. Sorry, but you damn well better believe I will speak up for Israel or any other country who's treated they way they have been at the Olympics. The one thing we have in the US is free speech, a foreign concept in Iran I know.
I do not have any problem with the Jews. I don't know if other people have but me not, that is why I am on the most right wing forum of America. And better check my profile! Israeli president is an Iranian, so is their defence minister.
Obviously you do have a problem with jews or else you would not defend your countrymens decision not to compete against them. And that leads to another question, just what are you doing on Free Republic? It is not a policy of the conservative movement to defend those who are against others based solely on their religion?
As far as I know there hasn't been a single US athlete who has been busted for failing a drug test that has been defended by the US Olympic committee or in American society in general UNLESS there has been a reason to question the validity of the test.
There are more than a few US athletes who aren't in Greece right now because they couldn't keep their hands out of banned substances.
And you will be hard pressed to find a single US athlete who has refused to compete against another athlete because of that athletes religion, which is the entire point of this.
P.S. I do not believe in rewarding hatred and predjuice in any form, to me that is exactly what was done to Iran, when they were allowed to continue participating in international games when they proved unwilling to participate with everyone.
I dont mind what you think of us in Iran. I really dont care, I am sorry.
Who cares how you think?
Bye
He was incredibly strong and a maniac as well. He did plenty of big lifts while hurt.
Of course you don't how I think. You have no defense for how your country or athletes acted at the Olympics. It's easier to ignore when faced with your country acting shameful.
May God bless Iranian freedom fighters! I have friends from Algeria... They are Berbers and they too hate the Arabs that defiled their land a thousand years ago with the Arabic language and the Muslim religion.
The pictures of Tehran are beautiful! In addition to learning geography, it would help if people had an understanding of world history. The Persian Iranian people are not our enemy!
Maybe if you left Florida once in awhile you would have a better understanding of world history. The average Iranian people are pro-freedom and also are not Arabic, and were forced to convert to Islam.
It's sad you would let one bad apple spoil the bunch. So one guy on the Iranian team is a jerk. Should the few idiot voters in 2004 spoil the whole State of Florida? I think not. Get a grip.
2004 = 2000... sorry about that.
The Iranian Athlete who refused to compete against the Israeli athlete, has been a confusing story.
I think the Iranian Judo competitor came to the weigh-in overweight. It's very possible, that he used not wanting to compete against the Israeli, as an excuse.
You should be aware, that the majority of Iranian people did NOT like what that athlete did. It was the regime who praised him.
Big difference.
Thanks... I wish people like you over there could teach others that How We REALLY are...
Btw, Thanks a lot for your knowledgeable mind.
Read others comments...
My countrymen are not like yours who take others Gold medals like what happened in Gymnastic or swimming!
We dont take others' medals.
And you are ignorant of the truth, not us! --- End of Message!!!
Bye
I understand what he did and why he did that. He had no choice but to give up. I bet if he was allowed to fight, the Israeli fighter would be defeated in 3 seconds.
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