Andranik Karapetyan Awarded Small Gold Medal at Weightlifting World Championship

Andranik Karapetyan has been awarded a small gold medal at the Weightlifting World Championship, although he did not register a result in the total lift category.

During the competition among the 89 kg weight category in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Karapetyan was the leader in the snatch event with a result of 175 kg. The European champion successfully lifted 167 kg in his first attempt, and in his second, he managed 172 kg, surpassing all his competitors and earning the small gold medal in this weight category.

Based on the decision of the Armenian coaching staff, Karapetyan also attempted a third lift, successfully lifting 175 kg, moving ahead of the Georgian competitor Revaz Davitadze, who lifted 171 kg.

However, the 25-year-old Karapetyan received a zero in the clean and jerk event and left the competition. He incurred a leg muscle injury after his first attempt, leading to three unsuccessful attempts. After his third attempt, he required assistance to leave the platform.

This marks Andranik Karapetyan's fifth failure in major sports. The young weightlifter's misfortunes began at the Rio Olympic Games when he suffered an elbow fracture during the second attempt of the snatch event. He also missed the 2018 World Championship and the 2019 European and World Championships. Although he was included in the European Championship held in Batumi, he did not compete due to being over the 81 kg limit by approximately 200 grams during the weigh-in ceremony.

Failures have also followed him in the 2019 World Championship held in Thailand (Olympic qualification), where he received a zero in the total lift in the 81 kg weight category, failing the clean and jerk event.