His gold medal was the first since 1960 by a non- Soviet or non- Russian athlete in the over 105 kg class at a non boycotted Games. Rezazadeh surprised many at the 2000 Summer Olympics, earning a gold medal and breaking the decades-old monopoly on the gold by the Soviet Union and then Russia. Rezazadeh rejected the tempting offer saying, "I am an Iranian and love my country and people." After his spectacular performance, he was offered by Turkey’s Weightlifting Federation a stipend of US$20,000 a month, as well as a luxury villa and US$10 million reward if he switched nationalities and won gold for Turkey at the 2004 Athens Olympics, but he turned down their offer. As a reward for setting a world record in the clean and jerk at the 2002 World Weightlifting Championships in Warszawa, Poland, Mohammad Khatami awarded him 600 million rials (a little more than US$60,000 at the time) to buy a house in Tehran. In 2002 he was voted the "Champion of Champions" of Iran and was one of 16 Iranian athletes granted a badge of courage from Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. He is also one of Iran's most noted celebrities, frequently appearing on television and in the news his wedding, which was held in the holy city of Mecca, in February 2003 was broadcast live on state television in Iran. Rezazadeh is widely considered one of the greatest weightlifters of all time.īefore the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories in 2018, he held the world record in weightlifting's super heavyweight class in the clean and jerk. Rezazadeh has won the Iran Sportsperson of the Year award four times, more than any other athlete in the country's history. Rezazadeh is a two-time Olympic champion, four-time World Weightlifting champion, and five-time Asian champion.
Hossein Rezazadeh ( Persian: حسین رضازاده, born ) is an Iranian politician and retired weightlifter.
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