Mahmut Demir

Mahmut Demir (21 January 1970 in Amasya, Turkey), is a former Turkish Olympic medalist, World and European champion sports wrestler in the Super heavyweight class (>100 kg). He won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Men's Freestyle wrestling.

He was born on 21 January 1970 in Suluova district of Amasya Province in northern Turkey. Mahmut Demir began wrestling in 1984. Already in 1986, he gained his first medal at the Balkan Juniors Championships in Yugoslavia. During his wrestling career, he won several medals at international competitions, besides his World and European champion titles. At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Mahmut Demir earned the gold medal defeating Aleksei Medvedev from Belarus, the son of the legendary Olympic champion Alexander Medved in the final match.

Mahmut Demir retired from the active sports in 1997. He is married and has with two children.

A sports hall in his hometown Suluova is named after him, where the 2006 European Champion Clubs Freestyle Wrestling Cup was held. He is the honorary president of Amasya Şekerspor Kulübü, a club dedicated to wrestling sports in his hometown.

Read more about Mahmut Demir:  Achievements