He’s done it again … again. On Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, Bulgarian weightlifter Karlos Nasar set his latest record — a 176-kilogram (388-pound) Junior world record snatch during the Men’s 89-kilogram session at the 2024 European Weightlifting Championships (EWC).
This year’s EWC, which runs from Feb. 12 to 20 in Sofia, Bulgaria, is one the very last chances for aspiring weightlifters to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games. In front of a home crowd, 19-year-old Nasar made perhaps his best case yet as the favorite for gold in Paris this summer.
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In addition to his new Junior world record snatch, Nasar performed exceptionally well during the clean & jerks, lifting 215 kilograms overhead before declining his third and final attempt. He finished first overall, winning his second Senior European title while still having another year as Junior athlete.
Here’s a breakdown of Nasar’s performance in Sofia. Note that all weights are listed in kilograms:
Karlos Nasar 2024 European Weightlifting Championships
- Snatch: 176 | Junior World Record
- Clean & Jerk: 215
- Total: 391
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Nasar currently sits in second place on the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) ranking leaderboard, the primary metric determining which 10 athletes will qualify for Paris. Nasar’s 395-kilogram Total (which he set at the EWC in 2023) places him just behind leader Li Dayin of China.
Ranking number one doesn’t directly affect an athlete’s chances of making it to Paris, but the higher you place, the stronger your case in the eyes of your country’s weightlifting federation: Nasar is all but confirmed for Paris 2024 this late into the qualification period. Regardless, he’ll have one more shot at grabbing that top slot at the final event of the quad, the IWF World Cup, which kicks off in late April.
A Record Wrecking Ball
Since Nasar burst onto the weightlifting scene with a silver medal at the 2021 EWC, he’s been widely considered the most gifted male Junior in the world. Nasar went on to steal his first Senior world title at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships — from Lu Xiaojun, who had recently won his third Olympic gold medal in Tokyo — and the rest is history.
He has since set Senior world records in multiple weight classes and been among the most fun weightlifters to watch take the platform. Here’s a glimpse at Nasar’s IWF competition history:
- 2019 Youth World Championships: 1st
- 2021 European Weightlifting Championships: 2nd
- 2021 World Championships: 1st
- 2022 European Weightlifting Championships: 2nd
- 2022 World Championships: did not finish
- 2023 European Championships: 1st
- 2023 IWF Grand Prix II: 1st
If Nasar can maintain his momentum heading into the Paris Olympics, he’s got a good — but not guaranteed — chance at winning the gold medal. Nasar certainly has momentum on his side; commentators at the EWC remarked that his portrait is featured on billboards all over Sofia. However, it’s Nasar’s seemingly-endless reservoir of strength is definitely his biggest asset, if this 176-kilogram snatch is anything to go by.
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Featured Image + Video: William Johnson / @barbellstories
