site.btaBulgarians Win Two European Men’s Weightlifting Titles in Chisinau

Bulgarian athletes won two men’s titles at the European Weightlifting Championships in Chisinau on Monday. Angel Rusev became European champion for the fifth time in his career after earning the overall gold medal in the men’s 55 kg category by lifting 246 kg. Ivan Dimov grabbed the overall title at 61 kg on a score of 289 kg to become European champion for the second time.

Bulgaria tops the medals’ table after the second day of the tournament.

It took Rusev just two attempts, at 105 kg in the snatch and 141 kg in the clean and jerk, to triumph in the overall. He placed eighth in the snatch but gave an unmatched performance in the clean and jerk, when he waited until all other athletes made their last attempts, hopped onto the platform and pulled it off at 141 kg. This brought him the gold in the clean and jerk and the title in the overall. Then, he tried to lift 150 kg but failed and declined to make a third attempt.

In the snatch, Rusev’s initial attempt at 105 kg was the only one to be recognized by the judges. When he tried to lift 110 kg, he turned a full circle on his feet, the barbell over his head, and the judges did not recognize it, despite Rusev’s protestation. In the third attempt, a 111 kg weight collapsed over him in the early part of the lift.

The overall silver in the 55 kg category went to Danu Secrieru of Moldova (245 kg). The overall bronze was won by Georgia’s Ramini Shamilishvili (243 kg). Turkiye’s Harun Algul got the title in the snatch after lifting 110 kg.

Ivan Dimov grabbed the overall gold medal in the men’s 61 kg category after lifting 289 kg. He made five attempts, all of them successful, to earn the titles in both the snatch and the clean and jerk. Dimov’s overall score was 13 kg more than that of the runner-up.

He showed he was in very good shape already in the snatch. He made three successful attempts at 128 kg, 131 kg and 135 kg, taking an 11 kg lead over Garnik Cholakyan of Armenia and 12 kg over Goderdzi Berdelidze of Georgia. The two won, respectively, the silver and the bronze medal in the snatch.

In the clean and jerk, Dimov was again in a league of his own. Starting from 150 kg, he practically secured the overall title for himself then and there. Afterwards, he lifted 154 kg to win the clean and jerk gold, too. Second place in the clean and jerk went to Berdelidze (153 kg), and third place to Ion Badanev (152 kg), who represented the host country Moldova.

Berdelidze also earned the overall silver on a score of 276 kg, and Cholakyan got the overall bronze by lifting 275 kg.