No 'Hercules' at Beijing 2008

Two-time Olympic Champion Hossein Rezazadeh of Iran (Photo credit: Getty)Photo Gallery>>(BEIJING, July 24) -- Iran's double gold medalist and 105+ kilogram world record holding weightlifter Hossein Rezazadeh, also known as the "Iranian Hercules," will not be coming to Beijing to defend his title.

Rezazadeh, who weighs more than 161kg at 185cm tall, made the decision not to compete in this year's Olympics after doctors told him to avoid "heavy and stressful activity."

"I am sure that my young friends are very well able to repeat the national honor in the 2008 Olympic Games and therefore I accept the doctors' suggestion," said the 30-year old Olympic champion.

"Mr. Rezazadeh had eight months of heavy training while having stomach problems," said Iranian weightlifting federation public relations, Mahmoud Abdollahi.

Head of the Iran Weightlifting Federation Bahram Afsharzadeh wrote a letter to Rezazadeh saying he should "pay attention to the suggestion of the doctors and the experts."

The "Iranian Hercules" is currently the world record holder for Snatch (213kg), Clean and Jerk (263 kg) and total (472kg) in the 105+ weight class. His lifting world records surpass the records in all other weight classes, prompting many to call him "the world's strongest man."

When he won his first Olympic gold at the 2000 Sydney Games, Rezazadeh was also breaking a decades-long tradition of Soviet dominance in the sport.

Rezazadeh was also the Asian Games champion in 2002 and 2006, and won multiple golds at each of the World Championships from 2002-2006. He did not participate in the 2007 World Championships because of a knee injury sustained in a car accident driving to weightlifting camp in northern Iran last year. Latvia's Viktors Scerbatihs won the 105+kg division instead.

As one of Iran's biggest celebrities, this world-class lifter was honored with the national distinction of "Champion of Champions" in 2002 and granted a badge of courage from Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. In 2006, a 6,000-person capacity indoor arena named "Rezazadeh Stadium" was built in his honor in his hometown of Ardabil, Iran.