Russian Athletes Win 40 Medals at the European Powerlifting Championships for the Blind

From June 26 to July 4, the European Powerlifting Championships for the Blind were held in Mersin, Turkey.

Russian athletes, competing under a neutral status, performed successfully at the tournament, winning 40 medals across all age categories.

During the first competition days, June 29 and 30, awards were contested in the bench press discipline. As a result, the Russian team claimed 20 medals.

The European champions in the main classification were Olga Nakhova (up to 56 kg), Yelena Strukova (up to 67.5 kg), Svetlana Klyuchko (up to 75 kg), Grigory Prima (up to 60 kg), Ivan Titov (up to 90 kg), Alexey Larin (up to 110 kg), and Dmitry Avramenko (up to 125 kg).

Yelena Strukova and Svetlana Klyuchko also set world records in their respective weight categories.

Silver medals were won by Tatyana Kononova (up to 52 kg), Konstantin Vazhenin (up to 56 kg), Anatoly Kashin (up to 67.5 kg), Yevgeny Popkov (up to 82.5 kg), and Sergey Mikhalev (up to 125 kg).

The bronze medalist of the European Championships was Anton Koroteyev (up to 100 kg).

Russian athletes also delivered strong results in the Masters and Juniors age categories. Gold medals among veterans were won by Tatyana Kononova, Yelena Strukova, Svetlana Klyuchko, Anatoly Kashin, and Dmitry Avramenko. Among juniors, the winners were Grigory Prima and Anton Koroteyev.

The head coach of the national team, Arkady Stepanov, summed up the performance of the Russian squad.

"First of all, I would like to thank the president of our Federation, Olga Vladimirovna, and the entire staff of the All-Russian Federation of Sports for the Blind for the organization and the opportunity to compete at the European Championships. I am satisfied with the result we showed, but we can do even better. The absence of several team leaders, who missed the tournament due to injuries and illnesses, took its toll. The level of competition was high; however, we would like the organizers to pay more attention to the quality of equipment in the future, and also to see more countries take part in the championship," Stepanov noted.

The participation of Russian athletes in the European Championships was organized with the support of the Russian Sports Fund.

The Russian Paralympic Committee congratulates the athletes and coaches on their well-deserved awards and wishes them success in future competitions!

Based on materials from the All-Russian Federation of Sports for the Blind.