Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Olympic champion Karlos Nasar: My limit is still very far

Photo: BTA

One of Bulgaria's three Olympic champions from Paris, Karlos Nasar, was solemnly welcomed on Bulgarian soil after his outstanding gold medal in the French capital. The 20-year-old Bulgarian stepped on the Olympic peak in the category up to 89 kg in weightlifting with a total of 404 kilograms, which is a new world record

"It cost me a lot of energy, I put a lot of energy into it, a lot of my time, social life, blood, sweat and a lot of effort, but the important thing was the ultimate goal. I was motivated to achieve the ultimate goal, which is to become an Olympic champion " Nasar said at Sofia airport, where he was greeted with bread with honey and salt by his mother, his sister, the son of his late coach Ilian Iliev, many admirers. 

It was the coach from the town of Cherven Bryag, Iliyan Iliev, who in 2020 in a TV interview who predicted that the young man would become an Olympic champion in 2024. "My limit is still very far," Nasar told journalists. The athlete's next big goal is the World Championships in December.

At 17, Nasar broke the 81kg world record in the deadlift (208kg) to win the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, becoming the third youngest world champion in weightlifting history. At 18, he broke the world record again, this time in the 89 kg category (220 kg), to win the gold medal in the clean and jerk at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships, making him the only male weightlifter to hold world records in two different categories.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Viktoria Radeva

Two victories and three losses for Bulgaria at the European Women's Individual Classical Chess Championship

Viktoria Radeva and Antoaneta Stefanova secured victories in the seventh round of the European Women's Individual Classical Chess Championship on the Greek island of Rhodes. Viktoria Radeva defeated Ines Prado (Spain) and, with 4.5 points,..

published on 4/8/25 10:21 AM
Стилияна Николова

Three golds, a silver and a bronze for Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnasts in Sofia

Stiliana Nikolova, who finished second in the all-around at the 2025 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Sofia, won gold medals in the hoop and ball finals. Bulgaria's other individual competitor, Eva Brezalieva , won a bronze medal in the..

published on 4/6/25 4:31 PM
Beloslava Krasteva

Two wins for Bulgaria at the European Chess Championship in Rhodes

Beloslava Krasteva defeated the European Champion Ulviyya Fataliyeva from Azerbaijan with the white pieces in the sixth round of the European Women's Individual Classical Chess Championship on the Greek island of Rhodes. So far she is 24th in the..

published on 4/6/25 10:34 AM