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Once the final bell tolled in Batumi on Sunday, Europe’s best could finally rest. The 2026 European Weightlifting Championships were a lot of things.
In a word? “A reordering,” says Seb; Nick calls the event “Robu’s.” Here’s the shortest version:
Zero world records.
The heavyweight men push their limits, and each other.
Team Italy both flies and falters.
Robu finally, finally, wins.
The EWF President barks at Ukraine.
Finland crowns its first Champion ever.
Nasar regresses.
European Weightlifting Championships Recap
The team put everything we had into making Europeans worth watching. We hope you enjoyed it, whether you tuned in on WLHOUSE TV or saw it on social media.
We spoke to as many athletes as possible after their sessions in Batumi. Here's what some of them had to say:
“I knew I would place second to Ozbek and beat Massidda.” - Ivan Dimov
“I need good competition, not more gold medals.” - Solfrid Koanda
“Thank God I have a silver medal.” - Gor Sahakyan
“I refuse to stand on a podium with Kuzminova.” - Iryna Dombrovska
“Ultimately, I just wasn’t in good shape.” - Karlos Nasar
The big question: What’s next for Karlos?
The helmsman of international weightlifting is sailing stormy seas. In Batumi, the 21-year-old posted his worst Europeans total in four years:
Europeans ‘22: 382@85.65
Europeans ‘23: 395@88.04
Europeans ‘24: 391@87.39
Europeans ‘25: 417@93.95
Europeans '26: 386@94
On the podcast, Seb, Nick, and Dr. Putsov guessed at why—spats with the Bulgarian federation, a changing of the guard within his support team, or mounting fame that stretches well beyond the borders of Bulgaria.
What they agree on: Karlos has won eight international competitions in a row. He might need to lose one soon to relight the fire.
