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On Monday, October 17, 2022, Belgian weightlifter Nina Sterckx impressed everyone around the world after she set a pair of new Junior World Records in the clean & jerk and Total while lifting at the 2022 European Junior & Under-23 Weightlifting Championships in Durres, Albania.
Sterckx took the competition by storm with her 260.1-pound jerk. That lift, paired with a 95-kilogram (209.4-pound) snatch, got her a 469.5-pound Total.
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The future looks bright for Belgium as Nina not only set two new junior records in her weight category but also earned gold across the board in Albania with a solid four out of six performances.
2022 European Junior Championships: All about Nina Sterckx
- Snatch: 92, 95, 98X
- Clean and Jerk: 110 X, 110,
- 118* Junior World Record
- In Total: 213* Junior World Record
All the weights above are listed in kilograms. “X” represents unsuccessful attempts by Nina Sterckx. The total projects light up to the athlete’s best snatch combined with their best clean & jerk. Her 213-kilogram total was 12 kilos beyond silver medalist Andreea Cotruta of Romania and a whopping 51 kilograms beyond the lowest total in her session.
Nina Sterckx’s Career in Weightlifting
According to the International Weightlifting Federation’s athlete database, she has competed at 17 international competitions since 2017. She won with a 204-kilogram at the 2022 Junior World Weightlifting Championships.
Sterckx has already built a great career in competitive weightlifting, as she is just 20 years old and has performed well on stage; this indicates that she will do great in upcoming events.
Some of her other achievements are:
- 2019 Youth World Championships: 1st
- 2019 European Junior Championships: 1st
- 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games: 5th
- 2021 European Championships: 3rd
- 2021 Junior World Championships: 2nd
Sterckx has competed in International Weightlifting Federation-sanctioned competitions in the 49 Kg, 53 Kg, 55Kg, and 59-Kg weight categories, some of which are not recognized by the IWF after 2018.
She owns two of the three junior records in her category. Interestingly, just before her performance, all three records were held by different athletes, which is rarely seen in this sports field.
The 117-kilogram clean & jerk record once belonged to Kim Ji-hyang, weightlifter Kamila Konotop, who had a 212-Kg total record, and Tunisia’s Nouha Landoulsi, who still holds the record in the snatch of 97 kilograms.
Conclusion
Sterckx's performance in Albania was also her international best ever. She ultimately lifted seven kilos more than what she had lifted a few months earlier at Junior Worlds.
She performed amazingly on stage, and fans were happy to see her setting a world record at this age. She has great potential to unleash as she projected light on herself by setting the record, and millions of people are getting inspired by her.
