Sibel Özkan

She was born on March 3, 1988 to Ramazan and his wife to Kezban in Kozluca village of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey as the youngest of three siblings. As she was three years of age, her parents divorced. Unable to look after her children, the mother placed Sİbel's brother Bülent, at that time four years old, and Özgür, who was five years old, into a children's dormitory in Afyonkarahisar. However, Sibel had to be moved to another city, since the orphanage was only for boys. She was put in a children's home in Konya.[1]

Her mother Kezban Özkan died one year after she placed her children in orphanages. Sibel's brothers joined her in the same orphanage in Konya two years later.[1]

As she was 13 years of age, Sibel shifted to another orphanage in the same city. There, she started to perform sports with judo. However, her interest changed soon to weightlifting despite her brother's opposition. She was trained by Süreyya Horasanlı and Sami Özsu, becoming successful at national and international championships in the 48 kg category.[1] Sibel is member of the weightlifting-specialized sports club of Kuyulusebil Halter İhtisas S.K. in Konya.[2]

After finishing the high school at the age of 18, she attended Gaziosmanpaşa University in Tokat to study physical education and sports, where she is still a student.[3]

In 2009, Sibel married to Ömer Öz, a medal-winning Turkish weightlifter,[4][5] whom she was engaged to since 2006. The couple separated the same year.[6]

After coming fourth in the snatch event at the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships - Women's 48 kg, she won her first Olympics silver medal in the Beijing Summer Olympics on August 9, 2008, held at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium coming second to the then winner of the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships - Women's 48 kg Xiexia Chen. Sibel won the silver medal with 111.0 kg in the Clean and Jerk achieving 199.0 kg in total.

Achieving 117.0 kg in the 48 kg Clean and Jerk category at the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships held in Goyang, South Korea, Sibel Özkan became Turkey's first ever female gold medalist in weightlifting at world championships.[7]

In 2016, the International Olympic Committee requested the return of the silver medal that she won at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, due to her failing a repeated drug test for using Stanozolol.[8]

Olympic Games

Rank	Event	Year	Venue	Snatch	Clean & Jerk	Total
DSQ (2nd)	−48 kg	2008	China, Beijing	88.0	111.0	199.0

World Championships

Rank	Event	Year	Venue	Snatch	Clean & Jerk	Total
Silver	–48 kg	2014	Kazakhstan, Almaty	84.0
Silver						189.0
Silver	–48 kg	2010	Turkey, Antalya	90.0
Bronze					115.0
Silver						205.0
Bronze	–48 kg	2009	South Korea, Goyang	89.0
Gold					117.0
Silver						206.0
4	−48 kg	2007	Thailand Chiang Mai	84.0	108.0	192.0

European Championships

Rank	Event	Year	Venue	Snatch	Clean & Jerk	Total
Silver	–48 kg	2016	Norway, Førde	82.0
Gold					100.0
Gold						182.0
Bronze	–48 kg	2015	Georgia, Tbilisi	80.0
Gold					99.0
Gold						179.0
Silver	−48 kg	2008	Italy, Lignano Sabbiadoro	86.0	110.0 ERJ	196.0 ERJ
4	−48 kg	2007	France, Strasbourg	78.0	87.5	165.5
6	−48 kg	2005	Bulgaria, Sofia	87.5	70.0	157.5

Mediterranean Games

Rank	Event	Year	Venue	Snatch	Clean & Jerk
Silver	−48 kg	2013	Turkey, Mersin	78.0
Silver	−48 kg	2005	Spain, Almeria		?

Legend:

• ERJ European Record Juniors

• Beijing 2008 Athlete Profile