Europe vs Asia in Weightlifting: Who Has the Stronger Champions in 2025?
Spring 2025 brought weightlifting fans two major events: the European and Asian Championships. These competitions featured the strongest lifters from each continent, and now that both have concluded — the Asian Championship ended most recently on May 15 — it's time to compare the results. Who reached a higher level? In which weight categories does Asia reign supreme, and where do Europeans still hold the lead?
In this article, we’ll analyze and compare the results of the European and Asian champions: examining total lifts, record-breaking performances, dominant countries, and emerging trends that are shaping the global weightlifting scene.
The 2025 European Weightlifting Championships took place in Chișinău, Moldova from April 13 to April 21.
The 2025 Asian Weightlifting Championships were held in Jiangshan, China from May 9 to May 15
.
2025 European vs Asian Weightlifting Champions – Men’s Comparison
55 kg – ASIA
-
European Champion: Angel Rusev (Bulgaria)
Snatch: 105 kg, Clean & Jerk: 141 kg, Total: 246 kg -
Asian Champion: Wang Weidong (China)
Snatch: 119 kg, Clean & Jerk: 146 kg, Total: 265 kg
A clear advantage for the Asian champion. Rusev’s total would have only ranked 5th in the Asian Championship.
61 kg – ASIA
-
European Champion: Ivan Dimov (Bulgaria)
Snatch: 135 kg, Clean & Jerk: 154 kg, Total: 289 kg -
Asian Champion: Pak Myong Jin (North Korea)
Snatch: 136 kg, Clean & Jerk: 163 kg, Total: 306 kg
Despite being a dominant European champion and two-time winner, Dimov would have placed 4th in Asia. It’s worth noting he had little competition in Chișinău and skipped his third attempt in the clean & jerk — suggesting untapped potential, though still not enough to match the Asian champion.
Note: Armenian lifter Garnik Chaloyan earned bronze in Europe with a 275 kg total.
67 kg – ASIA
-
European Champion: Kaan Kahraman (Turkey)
Snatch: 146 kg, Clean & Jerk: 170 kg, Total: 316 kg -
Asian Champion: Tran Minh Tri (Vietnam)
Snatch: 146 kg, Clean & Jerk: 172 kg, Total: 318 kg
A narrow edge for the Asian champion. Tran Minh Tri won a tight battle against Zheng Xinhao (China) by just 2 kg. Kahraman, on the other hand, had a comfortable 8 kg lead in Europe — and with stronger continental competition, could likely have improved his total.
73 kg – ASIA
-
European Champion: Yusuf Genç (Turkey)
Snatch: 154 kg, Clean & Jerk: 194 kg, Total: 348 kg -
Asian Champion: Rahmat Erwin Abdullah (Indonesia)
Snatch: 155 kg, Clean & Jerk: 205 kg, Total: 360 kg
The Indonesian champion dominated Asia, winning by a 26 kg margin. Genç would have taken second place in Asia. European silver medalist Gor Saakyan (Armenia, 338 kg) would also have ranked in the Asian top 3.
81 kg – ASIA
-
European Champion: Oscar Reyes (Italy)
Snatch: 159 kg, Clean & Jerk: 190 kg, Total: 349 kg -
Asian Champion: Luo Chongyang (China)
Snatch: 162 kg, Clean & Jerk: 200 kg, Total: 362 kg
A fierce battle in Asia between lifters from China, Indonesia, and South Korea (362, 358, and 357 kg respectively). Europeans weren’t close — Reyes would have placed 4th, and European silver medalist Rafk Arutyunyan (Armenia, 343 kg) 5th.
89 kg – ASIA
-
European Champion: Raphael Friedrich (Germany)
Snatch: 171 kg, Clean & Jerk: 205 kg, Total: 376 kg -
Asian Champion: Ro Kwang Ryol (North Korea)
Snatch: 168 kg, Clean & Jerk: 212 kg, Total: 380 kg
Friedrich had a strong performance, but it would only be enough for 3rd place in Asia.
96 kg – EUROPE
-
European Champion: Karlos Nasar (Bulgaria)
Snatch: 188 kg, Clean & Jerk: 229 kg, Total: 417 kg -
Asian Champion: Ali Alipour (Iran)
Snatch: 174 kg, Clean & Jerk: 216 kg, Total: 390 kg
No competition here — Nasar was unrivaled. He would have won not just the 96 kg, but also 102 kg and 109 kg categories in both Europe and Asia.
European bronze medalist Davit Oganesyan (Armenia, 376 kg) would only place 6th in Asia.
102 kg – ASIA
-
European Champion: Yevgeny Tikhontsov (Belarus)
Snatch: 181 kg, Clean & Jerk: 218 kg, Total: 399 kg -
Asian Champion: Liu Huanhua (China)
Snatch: 180 kg, Clean & Jerk: 230 kg, Total: 410 kg
A solid showing by Tikhontsov, good enough for silver in Asia. Liu’s 230 kg clean & jerk was especially impressive — even surpassing Nasar — though his total still fell short of the Bulgarian.
109 kg – EUROPE
-
European Champion: Garik Karapetyan (Armenia)
Snatch: 185 kg, Clean & Jerk: 226 kg, Total: 411 kg -
Asian Champion: Akbar Djuraev (Uzbekistan)
Snatch: 183 kg, Clean & Jerk: 223 kg, Total: 406 kg
Karapetyan secured Europe’s second gold in the heavyweights. He beat fellow Armenian Simon Martirosyan by 5 kg — this internal rivalry helped push the winning result beyond that of Olympic champion Djuraev. Martirosyan (406 kg) would also have been a strong medal contender in Asia.
+109 kg – EUROPE
-
European Champion: Varazdat Lalayan (Armenia)
Snatch: 210 kg, Clean & Jerk: 240 kg, Total: 450 kg -
Asian Champion: Ayat Sharifikelaryani (Iran)
Snatch: 195 kg, Clean & Jerk: 227 kg, Total: 422 kg
Another gold for Europe from Armenian powerhouse Lalayan. However, top Asian lifters like Gor Minasyan (Bahrain), Ali Davoudi, and Alireza Yousefi (Iran) missed the tournament due to injuries. Regardless, Lalayan is the reigning world champion, and the upcoming World Championships will be a key showdown when everyone returns.
Key Takeaways
-
Asia dominates in the lighter and middleweight categories (up to 89 kg) — with technical precision, consistency, and fierce internal competition pushing lifters to max out even to win gold.
-
Europe triumphs in the heavier divisions (96 kg and above), thanks mainly to individual stars like Nasar, Karapetyan, and Lalayan.
-
Asia won 7 weight categories, while Europe claimed 3.
The 2025 showdown confirms the global split: Asia leads in depth and consistency in the lower classes, while Europe counters with standout talent in the heavyweights. The stage is now set for an epic clash at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships.
4o