Halil Zorba

Halil Zorba (born 22 September 1988) is a British weightlifter. He represented England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and was in contention for the British team for the 2012 Summer Olympics but was ultimately not chosen for the team despite being British Champion in his weight class. He competes part-time, continuing with his career as a civil engineer.

Early life Halil Zorba was born on 22 September 1988, A back injury saw him miss the 2008 European Championships.

At the 2011 World Weightlifting Championships, he lifted in the snatch, setting a new personal best; however, he suffered an injury to his leg prior to the clean and jerk, resulting in a lift of only . This resulted in the combined weight being less than the minimum standard to be considered for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Zorba went into the English Championships seeking to make the Olympic qualifying standard. He reached the Olympic B grade, setting a new British record in the clean and jerk of at the same time. Following the breaking of the record, he twice attempted to lift , but failed on each occasion. His performance made Zorba the second British competitor to meet the Olympic standard after Jack Oliver.

He was named to the British team for the 2012 European Weightlifting Championships. He lifted a combined weight of , finishing in 21st position. He was a candidate for one of the three male weightlifting spots for the host country at the 2012 Olympics, having won the British Championship at the British Olympic trials in addition to achieving the B qualifying standard. Zorba remains British record holder in several categories, including both the clean and jerk and the snatch in the 69 kg category of the men's under eighteen competition, and the clean and jerk in both the 69 kg and 77 kg categories of the men's under 23 competition.

Personal life Zorba is related to the former British javelin thrower and multiple medal-winner Fatima Whitbread on his mother's side of the family.