Latvia's powerlifting team wins nine medals at European bench press championship
At the European bench press championship held in Lithuania, Latvia's 14-strong team won nine medals across various age and weight categories. The event drew 1,150 athletes from multiple countries.
In early August, Lithuania hosted the European Championship in classic and equipped bench press, gathering 1,150 athletes and coaches from various countries. Latvia was represented by 14 athletes, along with referees Arnis Šķēls and Māris Jeručenoks. In total, the Latvian team secured nine medals.
Classic bench press
In the most prestigious Open category, under 93 kg, Armants Šjadis took bronze with a lift of 210 kg, narrowly beating rivals from Italy and Norway. In the youth competition, Ania Antanoviča placed fourth in the under-63 kg category, matching her own Latvian junior record.
Several athletes competed in the masters divisions. In Masters1 under 74 kg, Sergejs Cviguns won silver, while Ēriks Kanbergs took bronze under 93 kg — his fifth medal at a top-level international competition. Gints Reinholds placed seventh in the same category.
In Masters2, Ludmila Samoilova, Nataša Ņikitina and Vjačeslavs Naumovs each finished fourth in their categories, with several improving personal or national records. In Masters3, Ainārs Leimanis won bronze under 74 kg.
In Masters4, both Latvian representatives became champions — Leonīds Anastasjevs (under 66 kg) and Dainis Reinholds (over 120 kg), the latter's ninth international masters victory. These wins gave Latvia second place in the Masters4 team standings, behind Poland.
Equipped bench press
All three Latvian entrants in equipped bench press won silver medals — Olga Miglāne and Skaidrīte Voiko in the under-63 kg and under-69 kg categories, and Aleksandrs Miglāns under 83 kg. The results from Miglāne and Voiko secured Latvia second place in the Masters3 team standings, behind Sweden and Lithuania.
