Karлos Nasar had dealt with health problems and an exceptionally demanding training period before winning his fourth world title. His manager, Nikolay Zheynov, revealed this in an interview with Sportal.bg after the Bulgarian weightlifter’s triumph at the World Championships in Ningbo, China.
Nasar won gold in the up to 95-kilogram category, setting three world records. He lifted 185 kilograms in the snatch, 230 kilograms in the clean and jerk, and 415 kilograms in the total. The results confirmed his title after the Bulgarian had already secured first place with a successful 220-kilogram attempt in the clean and jerk.
„He had quite a few health problems recently,“ Zheynov said. He added that despite the difficulties, Nasar had continued his preparations at a high level and had spent an entire month almost constantly in the training hall.
„For a month, he didn’t leave the gym and would rarely even go home.“
The manager did not specify exactly what health problems the weightlifter had faced. According to him, some people had thought that Nasar was not sufficiently prepared, but his performance in Ningbo disproved those expectations.
After the title had already been decided, Nasar chose to attempt 230 kilograms. Zheynov said that this had surprised even the members of the team, but the weightlifter managed to lift it and thus set world records in both the clean and jerk and the total.
„We were all surprised that he decided to risk a 230-kilogram attempt despite having already secured the title,“ Zheynov said. In his view, the decision was linked to Nasar’s desire to show what he was capable of on the platform, rather than merely defend the gold medal.
Zheynov also said that Nasar had already received offers to compete for other countries. He expects interest in the Bulgarian weightlifter to increase after his record-breaking performance in China, but stressed that Nasar continues to compete for Bulgaria.