Mohamad Kheir Traboulsi (8 September 1950 – 22 August 2002) was an amateur Lebanese

weightlifter Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lift ...

(he was a firefighter). At the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, he won the silver medal in the men's Middleweight category.

Life and career

Traboulsi was born in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

on 26 September 1950. At 18 years of age, weighing 67.10 kg, he lifted a total of 377 kg and placed 14th among 20 participants in the 67.5 kg weightlifting category at the

Mexico 1968 The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

Olympic games. With 67 kg, he was too light for a height of 167 cm. Yet, in 1969, he set the junior world record of Middleweight with 140 kg, a very great lift, equal to the junior light heavyweight record. In

Munich 1972 The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

, now weighing 74.05 kg, he lifted 160 + 140 + 172.5 = 472.5 and the silver medal for the 75 kg weightlifting category. Still in Munich, but in an

out of competition A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, ...

attempt to break the world in the snatch, both Aimé Terme of France and Traboulsi attempted to lift 146.5 kg to break the world record, both competitors failed the lift. Traboulsi had already broken that world record in snatch on 2 previous occasions earlier in 1972: he lifted 145.5 kg on 22 Jun 1972 in Beirut, then 146 kg on 30 Jun 1972 in Amman, Jordan. After that failed attempt to break his own record in Munich, he succeeded twice: 147.5kg on 11 Nov 1972 in Beirut and 150 kg on 25 Jan 1973 in Beirut. Always in the 75 kg category, Traboulsi placed first at the

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

, and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

Mediterranean games, as well as first place at the

1978 Asian games The 8th Asian Games () were held from 9 to 20 December 1978, in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. Then Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, was de ...

. In the

1982 Asian games The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of ...

, however, he placed second but in the 82.5 kg category. In all, he participated in 3 weightlifting world championships ( Havana 1973,

Moscow 1980 The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

, and Sofia 1986), 3 summer Olympics (Mexico 1968, Munich 1972, and

), 3 Mediterranean games (Algiers 1975, Split 1979, and Casablanca 1983), and 2 Asian games (Bangkok 1978, and New Delhi 1982). Traboulsi died from cancer in 2002, aged 52.

Traboulsi at the Munich 1972 summer Olympic Games

Always in Munich, but in an out of competition attempt to break the world record in the snatch, Traboulsi attempted to lift 146.5 kg but failed the lift.

Traboulsi at the Mediterranean Games

Tarabulsi at the Asian Games

References

Sports Reference

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Traboulsi, Mohamad 1950 births 2002 deaths Sportspeople from Beirut Lebanese male weightlifters Olympic weightlifters for Lebanon Weightlifters at the 1968 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 1972 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for Lebanon Olympic medalists in weightlifting Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Asian Games medalists in weightlifting Weightlifters at the 1978 Asian Games Weightlifters at the 1982 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for Lebanon Asian Games silver medalists for Lebanon Medalists at the 1978 Asian Games Medalists at the 1982 Asian Games Mediterranean Games gold medalists for Lebanon Mediterranean Games medalists in weightlifting Competitors at the 1975 Mediterranean Games Competitors at the 1979 Mediterranean Games Competitors at the 1983 Mediterranean Games