Weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu didn't come cheap, but he is one of the country's greatest flawed heroes and its only Olympian to hoist gold medals at three different Games.

Born to political assimilation and handicapped by genetics - he is only 147cm tall - Suleymanoglu overcame both by defecting from his native Bulgaria and training ferociously to earn the nickname 'Pocket Hercules.' He won his third straight gold as a Turk at the Atlanta Games in 1996 with a world record-setting win over Greece's Valerios Leonidis

In the end, the only man who could stop him reaching the record of four straight gold in the same event, a record held jointly by Carl Lewis, Danish sailor Paul Elystrom and discus thrower Al Oerter, was himself. For the Turkish media at least, his excessive partying at Ankara nightclubs cost him a fourth championship at the Sydney Games in 2000 after a three-year layoff.

Considering his background, it is not surprising that the unofficial 'lifter of the century' had some personal demons to work out.

As part of the two-million-strong Turkish minority living within Bulgarian borders, Suleymanoglu was stripped of his name and identity but still cruised to three weightlifting 'World Cup' crowns from 1984 - 86 as Naum Shalamanov.

Fed up at being deprived of his cultural heritage, he jumped on the Turkish prime minister's private jet during the 1986 World Championships in Melbourne and was flown to Ankara.

There he was awarded Turkish citizenship and bought out of bondage; more accurately, the government reportedly paid $1 million to Bulgaria to waive the rule that bars athletes from competing for three years after they switch nationalities.

He proved a solid investment, helping establish the sport as Turkey's second most successful at the Summer Games after wrestling by contributing three of its total haul of eight weightlifting gold. It might have been four if he had not failed in all three opening attempts at the 62kg snatch event in Sydney.

Meanwhile, female compatriot Nurcan Taylan caused more swellings of patriotic pride at home when she set two new world records at the 2004 Athens Games by lifting double her own bodyweight (never one to be easily beaten, Suleymanoglu had famously tripled his own bodyweight in the clean and jerk as a young teenager some weeks before the 1984 Los Angeles Games, which Bulgaria boycotted).

Despite going into the 48kg division as the underdog against favorite Li Zhuo of China, a former world record holder and world championship winner, Taylan caused a first-day upset in the snatch at Athens that relegated Li to the ranks of silver medalist while Taylan mopped up the gold by hoisting a total weight of 210 kg.