On May 8, 2023, then-18-year-old Bulgarian weightlifter Karlos Nasar suffered a serious injury to his Achilles tendon, sidelining him from prominent events like the 2023 IWF World Weightlifting Championships. Several months later, Nasar, 19, returned to the platform for the first time on Dec. 10 and set a new Junior and Senior world record in the process.
During the Men’s 89-kilogram Group A event at the IWF Grand Prix II and International Qatar Cup in Doha, Nasar lifted 223 kilograms, or 491.6 pounds, in the clean & jerk — a one-kilogram advancement on the previous record held by China’s Tian Tao.
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Nasar also snatched 170 kilograms, or 374.7 pounds. His 393-kilogram Total earned him the overall gold medal at the Prix, narrowly edging out Colombia’s Jeison Lopez (silver) and Italy’s Antonino Pizzolato (bronze). As a Junior athlete, Nasar’s 223-kilogram jerk also marks a new Junior world record, which he previously held as well.
Back In Action
Nasar has quickly established a reputation for taking some of the gutsiest attempts of any weightlifter in order to pull off victories on the international stage. At the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships, he famously bombed out in the snatch portion of the event only to return later and set a new world record clean & jerk (at the time, 220 kilograms).
At the time of his injury, Nasar’s displacement from the 89-kilogram category opened up an opportunity for several other athletes to break into the IWF’s top-10 leaderboard and rack up a few international medals. But with his triumphant return in Qatar, Nasar is making it very clear that he’s the man to beat in the 89s with less than a year to go until the 2024 Olympic Games kick off in Paris, France.
The second Grand Prix event of 2023 runs in Doha, Qatar from Dec. 4 to 14, and is one of the final major international qualification events ahead of the Paris Games.
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Featured Image: International Weightlifting Federation
