- Monday, 19 February 2024
Armenia's weightlifters won their third gold and fifth medal at the 2024 European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. So far, however, all their medals have come in non-Olympic weight categories.
Hakob Mkrtchyan and Davit Hovhannisyan topped the podium in the men's 96 kg category. Hovhannisyan, the returning champion, was at his best in the snatch. He finished with 169 kg, 3 kg better than Mkrtchyan. Pavel Khadasevich (AIN) was third with 165 kg. But Mkrtchyan, former world champion, was more successful in the clean and jerk.
He lifted 209 kg in his third attempt, while Hovhannisyan missed the 210 kg, and became double European champion with a total of 375 kg. Hovhannisyan was 1 kg behind. Yulian Kurlovich (AIN) was slightly better than Khadasevich in the clean and jerk, but it was Khadasevich who went home with the bronze medal in the total.
Without Iryna Dekha there was no clear favourite in the women's 81 kg. Three lifters managed 103 kg in the snatch, but Weronika Zelinska (Poland) was the first to lift the weight and took the gold medal. Elena Erighina (AIN) was second and Ilke Lagrou of Belgium third.
Zelinska and Erighina battled for the gold medal in the clean and jerk, with the Polish athlete finishing first with 132 kg, 1 kg ahead of Erighina. Lagrou failed in all three attempts, leaving Turkey's Dilara Narin in third place.
Katherine Vibert had come to the European Championships with the aim of improving her total and breaking into the top 10 of the Olympic rankings, but she failed all three attempts in the snatch at 110 kg and two attempts in the clean and jerk at 140 kg.