Hristo Hristov will take to the platform in the up to 110-kilogram category at the World Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, China. The competition starts at 13:00 Bulgarian time and will be broadcast on bTV Action, RING and online on VOYO. The Varna native’s participation is Bulgaria’s last at the championships.
A fierce battle for the medals is expected in the category. Among the main favorites is Uzbekistan’s Akbar Djuraev, who will be seeking his fourth world title. In the preliminary start list, Hristov has declared 410 kilograms in the total. The same result is listed next to the name of Shazadbek Matyakubov of Turkmenistan.
Garik Karapetyan of Armenia and Alireza Nasiri of Iran have higher preliminary declarations – 420 kilograms each. However, the declarations can be changed during the competition and do not determine the final standings. Hristov’s personal best in the total is 412 kilograms, achieved at the European Championships in Batumi in April.
The Bulgarian weightlifter is the European champion from Tirana in 2022 in the up to 109-kilogram category. His collection also includes silver medals from the 2021 and 2024 European Championships.
In Batumi this year, Hristov won silver in the snatch, bronze in the clean and jerk, and bronze in the total in the up to 110-kilogram category. On the world stage among men, he finished fourth in 2021 and 2023, while at the championships in Førde in 2025 he placed sixth.
Before competing in Førde, Hristov described his approach to major competitions with the words:
“You don’t become a champion without effort. You become a champion when you had nothing, but fought for your dream.”
The competition in Ningbo is an opportunity for Hristov to win his first world medal among men and finish Bulgaria’s participation at the championships with another distinction.