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The 2026 European Weightlifting Championships are in full swing in Batumi, Georgia.
With only a few days to go, we've already seen new Champions crowned, old legends shake the dust off, and plenty of guts from every athlete who steps onto the platform.
Here's what we've heard directly from the competitors in the moments after their sessions.
2026 European Weightlifting Championships
Athlete Quotes
Remember: You can see all the action live on WLHOUSE TV. Batumi runs from Apr. 19 to 26.
Here's what the athletes had to say.
Giulia Imperio 48KG 1st | 176KG (78/98)
“I felt good physically, but being absent from the platform for so long made me fail my first snatches. Before my third, I thought about everything I had been through. I just had to believe that I could do it without any problems.”
Ivan Dimov 65KG 2nd | 317KG (145/172)
“I felt great going into my session. Everything had gone according to plan, although, objectively speaking, I knew I would place second to Ozbek. Not to underappreciate Massidda, but I assumed I would beat him based on my results in training.”
“I started training for this in February. I could do 133/160 at the time. But in two months, I moved my weight from 63 to 66KG and lifted 145/175 in training. I can do more.”
Sergio Massidda 65KG | DNF
“My intention was to have a fair fight against both Ozbek and Ivan, but it wasn’t the right day. Even after the snatch, I was very calm. I had nothing to lose. Today made me realize many things I need to improve on. It’s a starting point to reach 110% at the World Championships.”
Yusuf Genc 71KG 1st | 332KG (147/185)
“I am not happy about my performance today. I couldn’t get what I wanted, my goal was to lift a higher weight. I hope I will have a better result at the World Championships.”
Sarah Davies 63KG 1st | 219KG (94/125)
“I felt good going into the session. This has probably been my best competition build-up in a long time, training was awesome and my cut went well. My snatch warm-ups went great, but it didn’t come together on the platform. I was frustrated, but knew I could do what I needed for the win.”
Maelyn Michel W63KG 4th | 215KG (100/115)
“I felt really happy after my 100KG snatch, but I had to stay focused, which was pretty unsettling. The competition wasn’t over yet. There was a lot of downtime during clean & jerk, which was tiring. During the medal ceremony, I was proud but also frustrated that I hadn’t managed to secure a medal in the total. It was within reach.”
Andreea Cotruta W63KG 5th | 214KG (99/115)
“2026 has been good for me so far, just like last year. Progress comes at different times, but I’m thankful.”
Gor Sahakyan M71KG 2nd | 330KG (150/180)
“Thank god I have a silver medal.”
Martyna Dolega W69KG 6th | 227KG (103/124)
“Today I felt great, I knew I was well prepared and had worked hard. Everything is still ahead of me and will be even more beautiful.”
Briken Calja M79KG 2nd | 340KG (153/187)
“I’m happy with the result, though an athlete is never truly satisfied. Why I did not attempt 189KG: I’ve had some back issues, so I didn’t want to risk too much. Today, the only thing missing from my life is my mother. Everything else, I have.”
Janette Ylisoini W77KG 1st | 247KG (113/134)
"Before my session I was nervous, of course, which is part of the process. But paradoxically, I was in a very calm and confident mood."
Iryna Dombrovska W77KG 3rd | 243KG (110/133)
"I did not speak to Kuzminova, whom I refused to share a podium with. EWF President Hasani approached me and the head coach of Ukrainian national team, but we were not given the time to put forward an argument.
I do not believe I breached any competition regulations. My reluctance to be photographed alongside Kuzminova is understandable, given the situation with our countries."
Sara Dal Bo W86KG | DNF
"I had a good off-season. I will come back stronger than before."
Karlos Nasar M94KG 1st | 386KG (176/210)
(Paraphrased) "I was affected by other lifters missing attempts. I warmed up too fast. Ultimately, I just wasn't in good shape."
Romain Imadouchene M94KG 3rd | 370KG (163/207)
"Today was a real struggle. It was a very tough competition to tackle. In training I've managed 375+ several times, so I was hoping for 380+, but given the conditions, I'm happy to have achieved 370 and add two new medals to my collection. I'm going to fix what didn't go to plan and come back stronger at Worlds."
Hristo Hristov M110KG 3rd | 412KG (190/222)
"Things did not go as well as I wanted. I was in better shape than this. Two weeks prior, I had done 195/230."
Solfrid Koanda W+86KG 2nd | 275KG (119/156)
"I left the stage feeling like I had a lot of strength in reserve. We came in prepared to snatch bigger and hold back in the clean & jerk, but I really need to get past the sticky 120KG mark in the snatch.
I've made a lot of progress, but I need good competition, not just medals. A silver behind Emily feels like gold to me. I've achieved a dream of mine by taking the podium with her. Now, I'm excited to visit home for more than a week. It's been many months."
Emily Campbell W+86KG 1st | 276KG (117/159)
"It was amazing to compete against Solfrid. She's an incredible athlete and a good friend. We got each other through some dark times training for the last Olympics. It was an honour to share the stage with her."
Joen Vikingsson Sjoblom M+110KG 7th | 379KG (174/205)
"I felt very good today. Our goal was to hit small personal bests in both lifts. 174 snatch was +4 in competition. We wanted 210 in clean & jerk. I felt good in the pull, it was unfortunate to miss.
I will return to -110KG in time for Worlds."
