Varazdat Lalayan won Gold in the Men’s +109 kg Category (2024 IWF European Championships)

The last day of the European Championships in Sofia went all out as we enjoyed a thrilling battle between the athletes competing in the men’s 109+ kg category. 

Among these nine athletes, the very best one on the day proved to be Varazdat Lalayan from Armenia, who managed to win the competition by a margin.

The Armenian lifter started strongly lifting 205 kg on the Snatch and winning first place for the lift, leading the second-placed by 10 kg.

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His solid performance continued on the Clean & Jerk, where he lifted 250 kg, which again was enough to get him first place on the podium for the lift.

He lifted 250 kg in the second attempt and withdrew from the third attempt after the failure of his contender Simon Martirosyan.

Simon missed 255 kg in his third attempt, so Lalayan guaranteed himself a Gold medal. And so, with two gold medals – for the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk and a total of 455 kg, Varazdat Lalayan was crowned the new king of Europe for the +109 kg men’s category. 

Last year, the Armenian finished second in both the European Championships in his home country and at the World Championships in Riyadh. His gold medal from this edition of the Europeans is his best one so far, and the hope is that his great run of form will continue throughout the entire season. 

If you want to read a recap of the entire European Championships, head on over to our blog. And for more fitness and weightlifting content, make sure to check out our social media channels and our YouTube channel as well.