Strong start when youth girls open Nordic Championships in Halmstad

The opening group at the Nordic Championships for Youth and Juniors in Halmstad featured three categories: Youth Girls 48, 53 and 58 kg.

Girls Youth – 48 kg

The 48 kg category included two lifters: Ida-Marie Ekknud Bjornstrup (Denmark) and Ruska Hirttiö (Finland). It turned into a tight battle decided in the final clean and jerks, where the Finnish lifter, thanks to strong lifts in the clean and jerk, overtook the Dane and secured gold with a 110 kg total against 109 kg.

1. Ruska Hirttiö (Finland) – 49–61, 110 kg total
2. Ida-Marie Ekknud Bjornstrup (Denmark) – 51–58, 109 kg total

Girls Youth – 53 kg

The 53 kg class brought a Swedish double victory. Wilma Arvidsson delivered a stable performance throughout the competition and secured gold with 61 kg in the snatch and 82 kg in the clean and jerk, totaling 143 kg. She missed only one attempt, her third snatch at 63 kg.

Behind her, the fight for silver was extremely close. Sweden’s Azjargal Jargalsaikhan and Denmark’s Alberte Saugmann Schmidt followed each other lift by lift. The Dane had a chance to take silver but missed her final clean and jerk at 74 kg, giving Sweden the silver medal.

1. Wilma Arvidsson (Sweden) – 61–82, 143 kg total
2. Azjargal Jargalsaikhan (Sweden) – 55–72, 127 kg total
3. Alberte Saugmann Schmidt (Denmark) – 54–72, 126 kg total
4. Birna Ólafsdóttir (Iceland) – 45–50, 95 kg total

Girls Youth – 58 kg

The youth 58 kg class was dominated by Finland. Pinja Eskelinen posted 72 kg in the snatch and 87 kg in the clean and jerk, and her 159 kg total made her an undisputed winner. Oona Puljujärvi secured a clear silver medal with her 146 kg total (63–83).

The bronze medal, however, was a much closer contest. Norway’s Vilma Kornelie Hetle edged out compatriot Emilie Hovland for third place.

1. Pinja Eskelinen (Finland) – 72–87, 159 kg total
2. Oona Puljujärvi (Finland) – 63–83, 146 kg total
3. Vilma Kornelie Hetle (Norway) – 57–87, 129 kg total
4. Emilie Hovland (Norway) – 53–71, 127 kg total
5. Smilla Dines Nørgaard (Denmark) – 54–64, 118 kg total