Armenian Weightlifters Win 26 Medals at European U15 and U17 Championships

The Armenian national team delivered a successful performance at the European Weightlifting Championships for U15 and U17 athletes, held in Kosovo from August 20 to 27, 2026. The tournament brought together the continent’s strongest young weightlifters and resulted in an impressive medal haul for Armenia.

Armenian athletes won a total of 26 medals — 7 gold, 12 silver and 7 bronze — counting medals awarded in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total.

U17 Boys: Armenia Wins Team Classification

Georgia topped the U17 boys’ medal table with 9 gold, 7 silver and 2 bronze medals. Russia finished second with 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze, while Italy and Spain took third and fourth place respectively with 3 gold medals each.

Armenia finished fifth in the medal table, winning 1 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze medals. However, the Armenian team recorded the best overall result in the team points classification:

1. Armenia — 551 points
2. Georgia — 538
3. Türkiye — 537

Christian Di Maria of Italy was named the best athlete of the U17 boys’ competition.

One of the standout performers for Armenia in this age group was Harutyun Avetisyan, who won the snatch in the 85 kg category with a lift of 141 kg. He lifted 168 kg in the clean and jerk to claim bronze and also finished third in the total with 309 kg.

Artur Petrosyan won three silver medals in the 60 kg category, lifting 108 kg in the snatch and 133 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 241 kg.

Armenia also enjoyed success in the 95 kg category. Alen Khachatryan finished second in the snatch and total and third in the clean and jerk, while Alen Zurabyan won silver in the clean and jerk and bronze in the total.

U17 Girls

Türkiye topped the U17 girls’ medal table with 7 gold, 8 silver and 5 bronze medals. Romania finished second with 6 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze, while Moldova came third with 3 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals.

Team standings by points:

1. Türkiye — 554
2. Russia — 469
3. Italy — 402

Nicoleta Cojocaru of Moldova was named the best athlete of the U17 girls’ competition.

U15 Boys: Armenia Second in the Medal Table

The Armenian team was also among the leaders in the U15 boys’ competition.

Medal table:

1. Georgia — 5 gold, 6 silver, 3 bronze
2. Armenia — 5 gold, 5 silver
3. Azerbaijan — 3 gold, 5 silver, 4 bronze

Armenia’s U15 boys therefore matched Georgia in the number of gold medals, falling behind only in silver and bronze medals.

The team standings by points were as follows:

1. Georgia — 544
2. Russia — 431
3. Türkiye — 421

Armenia finished sixth with 308 points.

Musab Mammadtagiyev of Azerbaijan was named the best athlete of the U15 competition.

One of Armenia’s leading performers was Tigran Avetisyan, who swept all three events in the 75 kg category. He lifted 122 kg in the snatch, 146 kg in the clean and jerk and posted a total of 268 kg.

Samvel Adibekyan won the snatch in the 60 kg category with a lift of 100 kg and claimed silver medals in both the clean and jerk and total.

Hayk Movsisyan added three more silver medals in the 70 kg category.

U15 Girls: Three Medals for Armenia

Türkiye finished first in the U15 girls’ medal table with 7 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals. Poland was second with 4 gold, 7 silver and 1 bronze, while Ukraine finished third with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal.

Armenia finished eighth, winning 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal.

All three Armenian medals in this age group were won by Nare Arakelyan. Competing in the over-69 kg category, she won the snatch with 97 kg, finished third in the clean and jerk with 115 kg and took second place in the total with 212 kg.

The leading teams in the U15 girls’ points classification were:

1. Türkiye — 579
2. Russia — 540
3. Poland — 434

Alena Kozlova of Russia was named the best athlete of the U15 competition.

Armenia’s Overall Results

Overall, the European U15 and U17 Championships were a successful event for Armenian weightlifting. The national team won 26 medals, while the U17 boys’ team topped the team classification. Armenia’s boys were particularly successful, finishing second in the U15 medal table and first in the U17 team points standings.

These results highlight the high level of Armenia’s young weightlifters and demonstrate the strong talent pool available to the national team in the coming years.