5 years later, Armenia won a gold medal in weightlifting
For the first time since 2019, Armenia returned from the Weightlifting World Championships with a gold medal. Varazdat Lalayan became the world champion in the super heavyweight category with a total result of 467 kg.
The Olympic silver medalist, for whom this is the first gold medal in senior competition, stated upon returning to his homeland that this was not his best performance.
The competition is getting tougher, and the price of gold is even higher now. We need to put in even more effort to always bring gold to Armenia. We did not rest after the Olympic Games; we continued training, and I lifted as much as was needed at that moment in the championship. For many years, this medal was won by one person, and now it was time for someone else to win it.
Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Karen Giloyan, who was observing the Armenian weightlifters’ performances on-site, stated that Varazdat proved he is the strongest in the world today. Giloyan also commented on the team’s overall performance, highlighting that injuries and failed attempts prevented the athletes from winning more medals.
The team was not perfectly prepared for this championship, as evidenced by the failed lifts and injuries. As the competition progressed, it became clear that the rivalry would be very intense, especially with the record-breaking streak of Iraq’s young representative raising concerns, followed by the participation of two powerful athletes from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In the last 5 years, Armenia’s weightlifting teams have brought home 57 medals from World and European Championships: 19 gold, 17 silver, and 21 bronze. In 2019, Armenia won 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal at the World Championships. Simon Martirosyan and Hakob Mkrtchyan became world champions. That same year, at the European Championships, Armenia won 4 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal.
In 2021, Armenian weightlifters returned with 2 bronze medals from the World Championships and 2 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals from the European Championships.
In 2022, Armenia again settled for 2 bronze medals at the World Championships. However, at the European Championships, our weightlifters claimed 2 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals.
The year 2023 was a medal-rich one for Armenia. Despite winning 1 silver and 1 bronze at the World Championships, Armenian athletes triumphed at the European Championships held in Yerevan, securing 4 gold, 4 silver, and 5 bronze medals.
This year, Armenia won 4 gold medals in Europe. Along with were 3 silver and 3 bronze. At the 2024 World Weightlifting Championships, held in the capital of Bahrain, Manama, Armenia’s representatives claimed 1 gold and 1 bronze medal in the total lift. The Armenian national weightlifting team placed 4th in the medal standings.