Varazdat Lalayan wins bronze at the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships

Armenia’s two-time world champion Varazdat Lalayan claimed bronze in the men’s over-110 kg category at the 2026 World Weightlifting Championships. The Armenian lifter finished the competition with three medals: silver in the snatch, bronze in the clean and jerk, and bronze in the total.

Lalayan lifted 210 kg in the snatch, finishing just one kilogram behind Iraq’s Ali Rubayawi. In the clean and jerk, the Armenian recorded 247 kg to secure another top-three finish. The judges ruled out his second attempt at 252 kg for an unclear reason, ending his chances of challenging for gold.

Lalayan finished with a 457 kg total. He missed out on the overall silver medal by one kilogram to Iran’s Alireza Yousefi, who set a clean and jerk world record of 263 kg.

Iraq’s 22-year-old Ali Rubayawi became world champion. He won the snatch, placed second in the clean and jerk, and recorded a 466 kg total.

Results: men’s over-110 kg category

Total:

1. Ali Rubayawi (Iraq) — 466 kg (211+255)

2. Alireza Yousefi (Iran) — 458 kg (195+263)

3. Varazdat Lalayan (Armenia) — 457 kg (210+247)

Snatch:

1. Ali Rubayawi (Iraq) — 211 kg

2. Varazdat Lalayan (Armenia) — 210 kg

3. Ali Davoudi (Iran) — 206 kg

Clean and jerk:

1. Alireza Yousefi (Iran) — 263 kg, world record

2. Ali Rubayawi (Iraq) — 255 kg

3. Varazdat Lalayan (Armenia) — 247 kg

Armenia finished the World Championships without a gold medal. Lalayan secured the team’s only medal in the total. Including medals awarded in the individual lifts, Armenian weightlifters won one silver and three bronzes: Lalayan claimed three medals, while Aleksandra Grigoryan earned the other bronze in the clean and jerk.

North Korea led the way in overall world titles with six gold medals. Chinese athletes won five titles, while Egypt, Bulgaria, Uzbekistan and Iraq claimed one each. Bulgaria’s Karlos Nasar was the only European athlete to become world champion.