1. Hamza Yerlikaya was ranked third in a list of all-time-best wrestlers by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles.
16 Facts About Hamza Yerlikaya
1. 2.
Hamza Yerlikaya's family was originally from Sivas, but they moved to Istanbul three months prior to Hamza's birth.
3.
Hamza Yerlikaya's father Mustafa Yerlikaya is a wrestler but was no longer active by the time Hamza was born.
4.
Hamza Yerlikaya started wrestling aged 11 encouraged by his father and inspired by his elder brother Muttalip Yerlikaya who is a wrestler with international success.
5.
Hamza Yerlikaya surprised some of the spectators who thought this was a coincidence by winning the gold medal in 1993 World Wrestling Championships in Stockholm, Sweden at the age of 17, and hence becoming the youngest ever World Champion in wrestling.
6.
Hamza Yerlikaya won the World Championship again in 1995 and went on to win his first Olympic gold medal in Atlanta 1996 at the age of 20.
7.
Hamza Yerlikaya continued collecting medals, most of which were gold.
8.
Hamza Yerlikaya joined the army to fulfill his military duty in 1996, during which he attended the Atlanta Olympics in Georgia, US and won the gold medal in the 82-kilogram weight category.
9.
Hamza Yerlikaya repeated his success four years later in Sydney 2000 and carried the flag for Turkey at the Sydney 2000 opening ceremony.
10.
Hamza Yerlikaya has won the European Seniors Championship eight times.
11.
Hamza Yerlikaya competed in 84 kg Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling for Turkey in 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and placed 4th.
12.
Hamza Yerlikaya married Ebru Kucuk in 2010, and they have two children.
13.
Hamza Yerlikaya quit wrestling in 2007 due to severe neck fractures.
14.
Hamza Yerlikaya worked as a consultant in the General Director's Office for Youth and Sports, and he was a member of the Turkish International Olympic Committee.
15.
Hamza Yerlikaya managed the Turkish Wrestling Federation as chairman before resigning in 2015.
16.
Hamza Yerlikaya is one of the head consultants of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic.