On April 18, in Chișinău, the European Weightlifting Championships 2025 hosted the men's 89 kg competition. In the absence of Olympic champion Karlos Nasar, who now competes in the 96 kg category, Moldova’s Marin Robu was considered the favorite. The home crowd had high hopes for him, but German lifter Raphael Friedrich delivered a surprise and claimed the gold medal.
The 24-year-old Friedrich achieved the best performance of his career, winning his first European medal — and it was gold. He improved his previous personal best by 12 kg in total. The tournament’s favorite, Olympic participant Marin Robu, fell just 1 kg short of Friedrich and had to settle for silver, taking only a small gold in the snatch.
Representing Armenia was 21-year-old Mnatsakan Abrahamyan, making his debut at the senior level. He replaced the experienced Andranik Karapetyan in the squad. Unfortunately, Abrahamyan succumbed to nerves and failed all six attempts, leaving him without a result despite having medal ambitions.
Men’s 89 kg results:
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Raphael Friedrich (Germany) — 376 kg (171 + 205)
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Marin Robu (Moldova) — 375 kg (173 + 202)
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Lorenzo Tarchini (Italy) — 353 kg (157 + 196)
Today, in the women’s 76 kg category, Armenia will be represented by Anna Amroyan and Milena Khachatryan.