Hamza Yerlikaya

Hamza Yerlikaya
Personal information
NationalityTurkish
Born (1976-06-06) June 6, 1976
Height1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight84 kg (185 lb)
Sport
SportSport wrestling
Event
Greco-Roman wrestling
ClubIstanbul BB SK
Turned pro1992
Retired2007
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 0 0
World Championship 3 1 1
European Championships 8 1 0
World Cup 3 1 0
Mediterranean Games 1 0 1
Other 5 2 2
Total 22 5 4
Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling
Olympic Games
1996 Atlanta 82 kg
2000 Sydney 85 kg
World Championships
1993 Stockholm 82 kg
1995 Prague 82 kg
2005 Budapest 96 kg
1997 Wroclaw 85 kg
2006 Guangzhou 96 kg
European Championships
1996 Budapest 82 kg
1997 Kouvola 85 kg
1998 Minsk 85 kg
1999 Sofia 85 kg
2001 Istanbul 85 kg
2002 Seinaejoki 84 kg
2005 Varna 96 kg
2006 Moscow 96 kg
1993 Istanbul 82 kg
World Cup
1997 Tehran 86 kg
2006 Budapest 96 kg
2007 Antalya 96 kg
2002 Cairo 96 kg
Mediterranean Games
1997 Bari 85 kg
1993 L-Roussillon 82 kg
Grand Prix of Germany
2005 Dortmund 96 kg
2002 Dortmund 96 kg
2004 Dortmund 96 kg
World Espoir Championships
1995 Tehran 82 kg
European Espoir Championships
1994 Istanbul 82 kg
World Juniors Championships
1994 Budapest 88 kg
1993 Goetzis 81 kg
1992 Cali 74 kg
World Cadets Championships
1992 Istanbul 76 kg

Hamza Yerlikaya (born June 6, 1976, in Kadıköy, Istanbul) is a Turkish Graeco-Roman style wrestler. He is a two-time (in 1996 and 2000) Olympic champion, three-time World Champion (1993, 1995, and 2005), and the first Turkish wrestler to become European champion a record eight times, a feat that has since been matched by Rıza Kayaalp. He was ranked third in a list of all-time-best wrestlers by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) and was named the "Wrestler of the Century" in 1996.

A sports complex in Gaziosmanpaşa district of Istanbul is named after him.