Tymur Taimazov

Ukrainian Tymur Taimazov was the world’s best heavyweight weightlifter in the early 1990s. Taimazov rose to fame in 1991 when he won the Soviet sub-heavyweight title. In 1992 Taimazov won the European sub-heavyweight title and was second behind teammate Viktor Tregubov at the 1992 Olympics, but then switched to heavyweight and was nearly unbeatable until he retired from sports after the 1996 Olympic Games. Taimazov was the 1996 Olympic and 1993 and 1994 World and European heavyweight champion. He also set six heavyweight world records: two in the snatch, two in the clean & jerk, and two in the total. His younger brother Artur Taymazov, who represents Uzbekistan, has been Olympic champion three times (2004, 2008 and 2012) in super-heavyweight freestyle wrestling.