Pocket Hercules

Sigh. I LOVED Pocket Hercules. Do you remember him? His real name was Naim Suleymanoglu. He was the tiny weightlifter from Turkey who won three gold medals in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He weighed 136 lbs, was a mere 4’ 11” and could lift three times his body weight.

Don’t get me wrong, Lone Reader – this gal is no fan of weightlifting in general. (The bulgi-ness! The oil! The tight uniforms! Wait a minute…) Naim Suleymanoglu captured the world’s attention for a moment and Pocket Hercules became a celeb of the moment at the Olympics.

I love the idea of something super small and super strong – it’s like the Ant and the Aardvark in between Pink Panther cartoons. That was way better than the Pink Panther, if you ask me. (No one did. –Ed.)

Tomorrow I'll write about the make-believe world of super-sized insects. Maybe. For now, I gaze warm heartedly upon Pocket Hercules, that wee li'l fellow.