Weightlifter Karlos Nasar won second gold for Bulgaria in 89kg at the Olympics in Paris

Bulgarian weightlifter Karlos Nasar won the 89kg title in his Olympic debut at the Paris Games on August 9. He brought a second gold for the country at the highest sporting forum in the French capital.

Tashkent 2021 world champion and two-time European champion Nasar set a world record in the combined lift, with a total of 404kg. He lifted 180kg, matching the International Weightlifting Federation's Olympic standard, and then 224kg in the clean and jerk, surpassing his own world record by 1kg.

He surpassed the previous record of 396kg set by China's Li Daiyin in May 2023.

The 20-year-old Nassar, who was born in the French capital, made three successful attempts in the first movement of 173, 177 and 180 kg and led the standings at the halfway of the competition with a tied score with world record holder, Jayson Lopez (Colombia).

Nasar brought Bulgaria's first gold medal in weightlifting in 20 years, following Milen Dobrev's achievement in the 94kg category at the Athens 2004 Games. This victory also marked Bulgaria's second weightlifting medal in Paris, after Bozhidar Andreev won a bronze in the 73kg category.

With caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) President Stefka Kostadinova, and former football star Hristo Stoichkov watching, the weightlifter won Bulgaria's sixth medal at the Games in Paris. Wrestler Semen Novikov yesterday won gold in the 87kg classic style category, while bronze medals were earned by taekwondo athlete Kimia Alizadeh in the 57kg category, weightlifter Bozhidar Andreev in the 73kg category, and 57kg boxer Javier Ibáñez.

Wrestler Magomed Ramazanov secured at least a silver medal after qualifying for the 86kg freestyle final, set for Friday evening after 21:00.