Ritvars Suharevs won Bronze in the Men’s 73 kg Category (2024 IWF European Championships)

With Paris Qualifications on the line and the thrill of wanting to win a medal for your country also present, day 4 of the European Championships in Sofia was as exciting as expected. Once again, we were lucky to witness many great performances, and most of the favorites didn’t disappoint. 

Ritvars Suharevs was one of them, as the Latvian lifter managed to get the final spot on the podium and win a bronze medal for his country.

He started the competition shakily, not able to lift his first two attempts on the Snatch, but thankfully, his final attempt of 154 kg was good, and he managed to win the silver medal for the movement.

On the Clean & Jerk, he again started with an unsuccessful first attempt at 177 kg, but he successfully managed to lift the weight on his second attempt. His total of 331 kg was enough to award him the bronze medal for the category, as he got 2 kg more than fourth-placed Roberto Gutu from Germany. 

Last year, Suharevs was crowned the European champion for the 73 kg category, a title which he unfortunately couldn’t defend. Prior to that, when he was competing in the 81 kg category, he also managed to win two bronze European medals – in 2021 and in 2019. 

Our full coverage of the European Championships in Sofia can be found on our blog, so if you’ve missed out on important news and you want to catch up – that’s the perfect place to go. And if you want more visual and behind-the-scenes content, make sure to check out our social media channels and our YouTube channel as well.