The 89-kilogram leader has strength to spare for the upcoming 2024 Olympics.

Last updated on June 14th, 2024

Karlos Nasar may have the words “you lose” tattooed on his forearm, but this is no Memento situation — they’re a reminder for his competition. On Friday, Jun. 14, 2024, the clean & jerk world record holder made a statement on social media.

Nasar posted a video of a 230-kilogram (507-pound) clean — seven kilos more than his current world record — that cuts to black before the split jerk.

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Summer’s in full swing — with less than two months until the commencement of the 2024 Olympics, Nasar appears to be signaling that the Men’s 89-kilogram event will be a battle for silver.

2024 Olympics Men’s 89KG Weightlifting

Nasar will travel to Paris as the conservative favorite for the gold medal — a breath of fresh air for Bulgaria, a country which despite their dominance in weightlifting in the ’80s and ’90s has only earned half a dozen Olympic medals in the sport this century.

Throughout the qualification period, Nasar has battled back and forth with his colleagues in the 89-kilogram weight class, leading to the division’s world records regularly changing hands. As of the closure of the qualification period, each record is held by a different athlete:

• 89KG Snatch World Record: Jeison Lopez (COL) | 182 kilograms
• 89KG Clean & Jerk World Record: Karlos Nasar (BUL) | 223 kilograms
• 89KG Total World Record: Li Dayin (CHN) | 396 kilograms

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While a diverse record book does indicate a breadth of healthy competition, make no mistake — Nasar is the 89-kilogram frontman in Paris. Having set six individual world records since qualification began in 2022, Nasar has edged out both snatch record holder Lopez and China’s Dayin, who was not selected to compete for Team China in Paris.

• Nasar has only twice missed the podium at the 10 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) events he’s competed in since 2019. He bombed out — failing to register a Total — at the 2022 and 2023 World Weightlifting Championships.

So, did Nasar hit the split jerk? Fans of weightlifting likely won’t know until after the Olympics, if ever. That said, Nasar did hit an unofficial world record clean & jerk of 226 kilograms recently as well. From the man himself: “To be continued…”

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Featured Image: @karlos_nasar_ / Instagram