Introduction
Antonio Krastev (Bulgarian: Антонио Кръстев) (born 1961 in Haskovo) is a former Bulgarian superheavyweight weightlifter who is best known for lifting the heaviest snatch ever in IWF competition at 216 kg, which was equalled by Behdad Salimi of Iran at the 2016 Olympic Games. However, his record is no longer official due to the restructuring of the weight classes in 1993 and 1998.
Antonio is a two-time World Weightlifting Championships gold medalist and two time European Weightlifting Championships gold medalist, but never competed in the Olympic Games.
Krastev was originally intended to represent Bulgaria at the 1988 Olympic Games in the superheavyweight category. Two of his teammates, Mitko Grablev (56 kg) & Angel Guenchev (67.5 kg) had won gold medals but were both disqualified after they tested positive for Furosemide, and the Bulgarian weightlifting federation pulled the rest of the team out of the competition the day before Krastev was scheduled to compete. At the time, Krastev was a two-time World champion and two-time European champion, and a heavy favorite for the gold medal.
Major result
| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 1981 |  Lille, France | +110 kg | 185 |  | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| 1982 |  Ljubljana, SFR Yugoslavia | +110 kg | 200 |  | 242.5 |  | 442.5 | | ||||
| 1983 |  Moscow, Soviet Union | +110 kg | 190 | 5 | 237.5 | | 427.5 | | ||||
| 1985 |  Södertälje, Sweden | +110 kg | 202.5 | | 235 | 4 | 437.5 | | ||||
| 1986 |  Sofia, Bulgaria | +110 kg | 215 | | 245 | | 460 | | ||||
| 1987 |  Ostrava, Czechoslovakia | +110 kg | 215 | | 245 | 4 | 460 | | ||||
World records
- 15 November 1986 Snatch - 212.5 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
- 15 November 1986 Snatch - 215 kg Super Heavyweight Sofia
- 9 May 1987 Snatch - 215.5 kg Super Heavyweight Reims
- 9 May 1987 Total - 467.5 kg Super Heavyweight Reims
- 13 September 1987 Snatch - 216 kg Super Heavyweight Ostrava
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