From April 19 to 26, the city of Batumi (Georgia) hosted the European Weightlifting Championships for adults.
Three athletes represented the Donetsk region in the Ukrainian national team, demonstrating a high level of training, winning awards, and setting national records.
Olha Ivzhenko, a master of sports of Ukraine of international class – an athlete of the School of higher sportsmanship in Donetsk oblast and a representative of the Druzhkivka community – competed in the 53 kg weight class. In the snatch event Olga lifted a 120 kg barbell, which earned her a silver medal in the continental championship. Unfortunately, due to a lack of successful attempts in the clean and jerk, the athlete was unable to achieve a result in the total.
In the super heavyweight category (over 110 kg), Donetsk region was represented by Vladyslav Prylypko, a master of sports of Ukraine – an athlete of the School of higher sportsmanship, a graduate of the Regional specialized children's and youth sports school of the olympic reserve in weightlifting, a coach of the Donetsk regional specialized professional sports college, and a representative of the Bakhmut and Selydove city communities. Vladyslav set two Ukrainian records: in the “clean and jerk” event he won a bronze medal with a lift of 231 kg, and with a total of 406 kg he placed fifth among Europe’s strongest athletes. In the “snatch” event he took sixth place with a lift of 175 kg.
In the weight category up to 110 kg, master of sports of Ukraine Danylo Chinyakov finished seventh among 17 participants. He is an athlete of the School of higher sportsmanship, a graduate of the Regional specialized children's and youth sports school of the olympic reserve in weightlifting and the Donetsk regional specialized professional sports college, and a representative of the cities of Bilozerske and Bakhmut. Danylo’s total in the two-event competition was 387 kg: he lifted 176 kg in the snatch and 211 kg in the clean and jerk. The athlete’s main personal achievement at this championship was meeting the standard for master of sports of Ukraine of international class.
Olga, Vladyslav and Danylo are 2026 scholarship recipients of the Donetsk Regional State Administration.
The coaches of the Donetsk region’s weightlifters are Ihor Obukhov, Andriy Ivzhenko, Viktor Romanchuk, Volodymyr Zhoha and Sofiia Kapranchuk.