The 2022 European Weightlifting Championships (EWC) began on May 28th and will run until June 5th in Tishana, Albania. We’ve already seen several world records being set, but the latest display of strength and power came from Antonino Pizzolato of Italy in the 89 kg class. He’s just won his second gold medal for the second year in a row. Check out his record-setting lift below!
2022 European Weightlifting Championships New World Records
The 89 kg class is a super competitive division, but it was Antonino Pizzolato that stood atop the podium after his record-setting performance. Pizzolato managed to set two new world records in the 89 kg class with his 217 kg (478.4 lb) clean & jerk and his overall total of 392 kg (864.2 lb).
Pizzolato put up the following numbers to secure his consecutive gold medals at the EWC:
- Snatch: 175 kg (385.9 lb)
- Clean & Jerk: 217 kg (478.4 lb) | New World Record
- Total: 392 kg (864.2 lb) | New World Record
With these lifts, Pizzolato bested the previous clean & jerk by 1 kg with the old record of 216 kg (476.2 lb) and beat the total of 387 kg (853.2 lb) by 5 kg!
Watch Pizzolato’s record setting lift below:
The top three finishers of the 89 kg class were:
- Antonino Pizzolato (Italy): 392 kg (864.2 lb)
- Karlos Nasar (Bulgaria): 382 kg (842.2 lb)
- Revaz Davitadze (Georgia): 369 kg (813.5 lb)
This is Pizzolato’s third gold medal from the EWC after winning in 2019 and 2021 in the 81 kg class. Pizzolato’s win was a massive milestone for the Italian weightlifting community, as the last time an Italian set a world record was 100 years ago.
Pizzolato defeated one of the great young weightlifters, Karlos Nasar of Bulgaria, to claim the gold medal. Although Nasar didn’t win the gold, the 18-year-old did set three new Junior on his way to winning silver. Nasar’s world record lifts were:
- Snatch: 171 kg (377 lb) | Junior World Record
- Clean & Jerk: 211 kg (465.2 lb) | Junior World Record
- Total: 382 kg (842.2 lb) | Junior World Record
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The 2022 EWC has provided us with some memorable moments in the sport of weightlifting. With numerous records falling, the field is being set for the 2024 Paris Games. We’ll be sure to keep an eye on both Pizzolato and Nasar, and we suggest you do too!
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Kiel DiGiovanni
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