By Christian Oliver
TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranians joke there must be something magical in the water of Ardebil, the northern city that has given the Islamic republic its two best-loved sportsmen.
Soccer striker Ali Daei hails from the Azeri-speaking plateau town that is often inaccessible by road because of snow.
And at the Sydney Olympics, a 22-year old from Ardebil powdered his hands, sought inspiration from the heavens and humbled two weightlifting greats with an enormous lift.
Undaunted by watching two world records fall before he took the stage, super-heavyweight Hossein Rezazadeh took weightlifting gold with a fresh record of 472.5 kilograms (212.5 kg in the snatch and 260 kg in the clean and jerk).
"God helped me to win," said the 'Iranian Hercules' who invokes Imam Ali, one of the most revered figures of Shi'ite Islam, before hoisting the bar over his head.
Germany's Ronny Weller, beaten into silver medal position, said he had still not got to grips with the name of the man from Ardebil, the youngest super-heavyweight champion in Olympic history.
"These Iranians keep coming out of nowhere. It is like a Spielberg movie," Weller complained.
NATIONAL CELEBRITY
Iranian sports fans just can't get enough of Rezazadeh. They even watched on television as he married a compatriot while on pilgrimage to the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
His stocky form gazes down on to Tehran highways from billboards advertising Behran motor oil, vying with Germany's Formula One champion Michael Schumacher and England football captain David Beckham who puff rival brands.
Gold at the world championships in 2002 and 2003 confirmed him as the world's strongest man and favourite in Athens.
Rezazadeh says he is confident of beating his arch-rival, Bulgarian-born Jaber al-Salem who now lifts for the Gulf state of Qatar.
He will also be keeping a close eye on Bulgaria's youthful Velichko Cholakov who won the European title in Kiev this year, also aged 22.
Earlier this month Rezazadeh exceeded the world record training in the Caspian Sea province of Gilan. He added two kg to his 2002 clean and jerk record, heaving 265 kg.
SWITCH ALLEGIANCE
Although youngsters are now turning to football and volleyball, traditional sports such as wrestling and weightlifting maintain a strong following in Iran.
Many cities boast a "zurkhaneh", a house of strength, where devotees chant classical poetry while they spin heavy weights in a trance-like state. Iran still idolises pure physical strength.
Iranian media reported Rezazadeh has been offered a multi-million dollar deal, including housing and luxury cars, to switch his allegiance to Turkey.
He is a fan of Turkish music and his mother tongue is related to Turkish rather than Persian. Rezazadeh, speaking in his thick Azeri drawl, states: "I am an Iranian and love my country and people."
That said, the patriot has insisted the government buy him a house in Tehran. President Mohammad Khatami saw to it that $71,000 was spent on lodging the national hero.
