The 2022 European Weightlifting Championships (EWC) are taking place from May 28-June 5, 2022, in Tirana, Albania.
There, for the first time in his career, Bulgarian weightlifter Karlos Nasar competed in the 89-kilogram weight class. That didn’t prove to be much of an obstacle for Nasar, the reigning International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Champion in the 81-kilogram weight class. The 18-year-old athlete went on to have a weekend to remember as he showed off his strength by setting three separate Junior World Records. They are as follows:
Karlos Nasar (89KG) | 2022 European Weightlifting Championships Junior World Records
- Snatch — 171 kilograms (377 pounds) — Junior World Record
- Clean & Jerk — 211 kilograms (465.2 pounds) — Junior World Record
- Total — 382 kilograms (842.2 pounds) — Junior World Record
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[Related: Weightlifter Eishiro Murakami (+109KG) Sets 3 National Records During 2022 All-Japan Championships]
Nasar’s snatch record officially surpasses Karen Avaygan’s previous Junior World Record mark by a kilogram (2.2 pounds). His clean & jerk eclipses Keydomar Giovanni Vallenilla Sanchez’s Junior World Record by seven kilograms (15.4 pounds). Finally, Nasar’s new Junior World Record total exceeds Revaz Davitadze’s previous record by 11 kilograms (24.2 pounds)
2022 European Weightlifting Championships Results
Nasar’s three Junior World Records were not enough for him to take home the gold. The athlete ended up finishing in second place with a silver medal. Senior 89-kilogram weightlifter Antonino Pizzolato was the only competitor to outdo Nasar’s performance with two separate feats. Pizzolato notched a World Record clean & jerk of 217 kilograms (478.4 pounds) along with a World Record total of 392 kilograms (864.2 pounds). These achievements helped the Italian weightlifter finish with the eventual gold medal.
Here are the top three finishers in the 2022 EWC for the Men:
2022 European Weightlifting Championships | Top Totals
- Antonino Pizzolato (Italy) — 392 kilograms (864.2 pounds)
- Karlos Nasar (Bulgaria) — 382 kilograms (842.2 pounds)
- Revaz Davitadze (Georgia) — 369-kilograms (813.5 pounds)
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[Related: Olympic Weightlifter Katherine Nye Squats 186 Kilograms (410 Pounds) For A New PR]
Nasar at a Glance
These results don’t appear to be anything new for Nasar if his career trajectory indicates anything. In addition to his 2021 IWF World title, he has previously featured well in several youth competitions to start his competitive life.
Perhaps among the more notable, Nasar took first place in the 2019 World Youth Weightlifting Championships in Las Vegas, NV. He also finished in second place in the 81-kilogram weight class in the 2021 EWC that took place in Moscow, Russia.
In the lead-up to the 2022 EWC, Nasar frequently alluded to a potential record-breaking performance. His social media is rife with footage of the weightlifter breaking unofficial records in training. A 210-kilogram (463-pound) clean & jerk from an April 2022 session might be one of the more noteworthy overhead feats Nasar had beforehand. He even previously locked out a 175-kilogram (385.8 pounds) snatch in November 2021. That is the same snatch weight that Pizzolato captured at the 2022 EWC.
While Nasar’s competition is over, the 2022 EWC will finish on June 5, 2022.
Featured image: @karlosnasar on Instagram
