Pirro Dhima born (October 13, 1971) is an Albanian weightlifter and three-time Olympic champion. Weightlifting has been contested at every Summer Olympic Games since the 1920 Summer Olympics, as well as twice before then. ... The 92 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ... The weightlifting competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona consisted of ten weight classes, all for men only. ... The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ... The weightlifting competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta consisted of ten weight classes, all for men only. ... The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Final results for the Weightlifting events at the 2000 Summer Olympics. ... The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... These are the results of the mens 85 kg competition (previously known as the light heavyweight class) in weightlifting at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... A weightlifter about to jerk 180 kg[1] Weightlifting is a sport in which competitors attempt to lift heavy weights mounted on steel bars called barbells, the execution of which is a combination of power, flexibility, technique, mental and physical strength. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ...

Dhima was born in Himara, Albania, and emigrated to Greece in 1991. He first competed for Greece in the 1992 Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in the 82.5 kg class. His birthplace gave rise to his nickname "The Albanian Lion of Himara". His outstanding number of Olympic Gold Medals created another nickname "I Madhi". Himara (Albanian: Himarë or Himara, Greek: Chimara) is a region along the Albanian Ionian Sea coast, opposite of the northern side of the Epirote Islands (Corfu in particular), about 50 Kilometres in Length and 10 Kilometres in width. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... The 92 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ...

With the 1993 and 1995 World titles under his belt, Dhima was heavily favoured for the 83 kg class at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he was the flagbearer of the Greek Olympic team. He won the event with two new World Records. The 1996 Summer Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ...

At the Sydney Olympics, he won yet another gold medal, this time in the 85 kg class. This made him one of just three weightlifters at that time to have won three Olympic gold medals, the others being Naim Süleymanoğlu (Turkey, but born in Bulgaria) and Kakhi Kakhiashvili (Greece, but born in Georgia). Halil Mutlu (Turkey) would become the fourth in 2004. The 2000 Summer Olympics or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games held in 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. ... Naim SüleymanoÄŸlu (also Naim Suleimanov, born January 23, 1967 at Ptichar, Bulgaria) is a Turkish World and Olympic Champion in weightlifting. ... Kakhi Kakhiashvili is one of the four weightlifters to have won three consecutive gold medals in Olympics. ... Halil Mutlu (born Huben Hubenov on July 14, 1973 in Postnik, Bulgaria) is a Turkish World and Olympic Champion in weightlifting. ...

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens|Athens, Greece, Dhima was again chosen as Greek flagbearer for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Dhima was recovering from knee surgery and a hurt wrist and was not expected to compete in these Olympics, but he came away with a bronze medal in the 85 kg class, becoming only the fourth weightlifter in history to win a medal at four different Olympic Games and only the third to win them successively four times, thus cementing his status as a national hero in Greece - an Albanian hero indeed who helped the obscure Greek weightlifting sport reach world records. The ceremony for the lighting of the flame is arranged as a pagan pageant, with priestesses dancing. ... The 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony was held on August 13. ...

External links

• http://www.albsport.com
• International Weightlifting Federation
• Pirro Dhima at Lift Up
• Pirro Dhima - Hall of Fame at Weightlifting Exchange