Erol Bilgin

Erol Bilgin

Personal information
Nationality	Turkish
Born	(1987-02-20) 20 February 1987 (age 38) Kütahya, Turkey
Height	1.58 m (5.2 ft)
Weight	62 kg (137 lb)
Sport
Country	Turkey
Sport	Weightlifting
Weight class	–62 kg
Club	Tarım Kredi S.K.
Coached by	Hilmi Pekünlü
Retired	yes
Medal record Men's weightlifting Representing   Turkey World Championships 2010 Antalya 62 kg European Championships 2009 Bucharest 62 kg 2010 Minsk 62 kg 2005 Sofia 62 kg 2008 Lignano Sabbiadoro 62 kg 2007 Strasbourg 62 kg Mediterranean Games 2009 Pescara 62 kg S 2009 Pescara 62 kg C 2018 Tarragona 62 kg S 2018 Tarragona 62 kg C World University Championships 2006 İzmir 62 kg World Junior Championships 2004 Minsk 56 kg European Junior Championships 2004 Burgas 56 kg European U17 Championships 2004 Stavanger 56 kg European U16 Championships 2002 Villeneuve 45 kg

Erol Bilgin (born 20 February 1987) is a Turkish former weightlifter who competed in the 62 kg category. A two-time European champion and 2010 World bronze medalist. ^[1]

Career

Bilgin was born in Kütahya, Turkey. He began lifting in 1998 at the Kütahya Gençlik Merkezi Sports Club and moved to Tarım Kredi S.K. in 2000. He was coached by Hilmi Pekünlü. ^[2]

He achieved his first major international title at the 2004 European Junior Weightlifting Championships in Burgas, winning gold. He later became European Youth and Under-16 Champion, and in 2010 won bronze at the 2010 World Weightlifting Championships in Antalya, lifting 143 kg in snatch and 171 kg in clean & jerk (314 kg total). ^[3]

Bilgin ranked 8th at the 2012 London Olympics, ^[4] but in 2020 the International Olympic Committee announced his disqualification after re-analysis of his 2012 samples detected Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (Oral Turinabol) and Stanozolol. ^[5]

He also represented Turkey at the 2008 European Weightlifting Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro, lifting 135 kg in snatch and 160 kg in clean & jerk for 295 kg total and a silver medal. ^[6]

Bilgin’s consecutive gold medals at the 2009 Bucharest and 2010 Minsk European Championships established him among the best lightweight lifters of the late 2000s. ^[7]

Major results

Year	Venue	Weight	Snatch (kg)				Clean & Jerk (kg)				Total	Rank
			1	2	3	Rank	1	2	3	Rank
Olympic Games
2012	London, United Kingdom	62 kg	135	139	140	7	165	165	169	8	300	DQ
World Championships
2010	Antalya, Turkey	62 kg	140	142	143		168	171	174		314
European Championships
2010	Minsk, Belarus	62 kg	137	138	139		162	164	165		304
2009	Bucharest, Romania	62 kg	131	133	133		156	158	160		293
2008	Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy	62 kg	133	134	135		158	159	160		295
2007	Strasbourg, France	62 kg	126	127	128		155	156	158		276
2005	Sofia, Bulgaria	56 kg	118	119	120		143	144	145		265
Mediterranean Games
2018	Tarragona, Spain	62 kg	120	125	127		155	165	169		290
World University Championships
2006	İzmir, Turkey	62 kg	120	123	125		158	160	162		285
World Junior Championships
2004	Minsk, Belarus	56 kg	113	115	117		133	135	137		250
European Junior Championships
2004	Burgas, Bulgaria	56 kg	110	112	112.5		142	143	145		257.5
European U17 Championships
2004	Stavanger, Norway	56 kg	108	110	112		133	134	135		245
European U16 Championships
2002	Villeneuve-Loubet, France	45 kg	75	77.5	80		100	102.5	105		180

References

1. "IOC sanctions one athlete for failing anti-doping tests at London 2012". Olympic.org. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
2. "Erol Bilgin Biography" (in Turkish). Governorate of Kütahya. Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
3. "2010 World Championships Results". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
4. "Erol Bilgin – Athlete Bio". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 4 November 2009. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
5. "IOC sanctions one athlete for failing anti-doping tests at London 2012". International Olympic Committee. 27 August 2020. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
6. "European Weightlifting Championships 2008 – Official Results" (PDF). European Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
7. "Erol Bilgin wins European Championship". Hürriyet Daily News. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2025.

External links

• Erol Bilgin at the International Weightlifting Federation
• Erol Bilgin at the International Weightlifting Results Project
• Erol Bilgin at Olympics.com
• Erol Bilgin at Olympic.org (archived)
• Erol Bilgin at Olympedia