European Weightlifting Championship: Georgia’s Turmanidze wins silver

Georgia’s Irakli Turmanidze has clinched the +105kg weight category silver medal of the 2015 European Weightlifting Championships, which were held in Tbilisi, Georgia this week.

Turmanidze lifted a total weight of of 435kg (201kg in the snatch and grab and 235kg in the clean and jerk).

Ukraine’s Oleg Proshak, who received the gold medal in this weight category, lifted exactly the same weight as Turmanidze but his personal weight was slightly lower than the Georgian athlete's. Proshak weighed 130.2kg, while Turmanidze weighed 840g heavier, (131.04), which decided the fate of the gold medal in this category.

The Georgian athlete said it was pity he missed out on the opportunity to win the gold medal but he was still extremely pleased to win the silver, and said the result was a big deal in this prestigious event.

The European Weightlifting Championship is one of the oldest annual sports events: it has been held annually since 1896.

This year it took place in the Georgian capital Tbilisi from April 11-18.