Said Saif Asaad

(Redirected from Angel Popov)

Said Saif Asaad (born Angel Popov (Bulgarian: Ангел Попов; May 31, 1979 in Bulgaria), is a Qatari weightlifter who competed in the Men's 105 kg weight class at the 2000 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal.

Said Saif Asaad
Medal record
Representing  Qatar
Men's weightlifting
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 105 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2003 Vancouver 105 kg
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Busan 105 kg

One of eight Bulgarian weightlifters recruited by the Qatar Olympic Committee, Asaad became a Qatari citizen to represent the country in the 2000 Olympics, his old name, Angel Popov, being left behind in the process. Qatar has been known for recruiting sportspeople from other countries, the most notable example being world-class runner Saif Saaeed Shaheen.[1][2]

After moving to Asia, Asaad has become Asian champion twice as well as winning the 2002 Asian Games. He is also the 2003 world champion.[3] Later he competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but finished without a result.

Notes and references

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  1. ^ Blustein, Paul (2004-08-24). "Winners With Wallets". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  2. ^ "Here comes the foreign legion". Aljazeera Magazine. 2006-11-23. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  3. ^ "World Championships Men: -105 kg". Sports123.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
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