BRIKEN CALJA, MEDITERRANEAN CHAMPION: GOLD, BRONZE AND FOUR RECORDS IN TARANTO!

Briken Calja is the champion of the Taranto 2026 Mediterranean Games!

The Team Albania athlete produced an exceptional performance, proving once again that he remains one of the greatest names in Albanian weightlifting.

Calja dominated the snatch competition, successfully completing all three attempts. He opened with 147 kilograms, continued with 152 kg and finished with 154 kg.

Each successful lift improved the Mediterranean record at that stage of the competition. His final result of 154 kg earned him the gold medal and the title of Mediterranean champion.

A medal and another record in the clean and jerk

Calja continued to perform at an excellent level in the clean and jerk.

With his best successful lift, the Albanian weightlifter raised 184 kilograms and established another Mediterranean record. The result also earned him the bronze medal in the discipline.

Calja concluded the competition with an impressive record:

Gold medal in the snatch — 154 kg Bronze medal in the clean and jerk — 184 kg 338 kg combined total Six successful lifts Four Mediterranean records during the competition

Three successful snatch attempts and three more in the clean and jerk demonstrated not only his physical strength, but also the technical preparation, concentration and confidence of a great champion.

An emotional return after 13 years

The triumph in Taranto carried special significance for Calja. The Albanian weightlifter returned to the Mediterranean Games after a long and sometimes difficult history with the competition.

He won a silver medal in the snatch at the 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara. At Mersin 2013, he secured bronze medals in both the snatch and clean and jerk. Returning after 13 years and finally becoming champion makes his success in Taranto even more meaningful. Olympedia

After years of sacrifice, injuries and sporting battles, Calja did not merely return to the Mediterranean podium—this time, he climbed to its highest step.

A career among the world’s elite

Born on February 19, 1990, in Shtërmen, Elbasan, Briken Calja has represented Albania at three Olympic Games: London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

In Tokyo, he came agonizingly close to an Olympic medal, finishing fourth with a combined total of 341 kilograms. Only one kilogram separated him from the podium—one of the most painful yet proudest moments in Albanian sports history. Olympedia

Calja became European champion in 2018. At the 2021 World Championships, he won gold in the snatch and silver in the combined total.

He has continued competing at the highest level throughout 2026. At the European Championships in Batumi, in the men’s 79 kg category, he lifted 187 kg in the clean and jerk and recorded a 340 kg total, winning gold in the clean and jerk and silver overall.

The champion who continues to defy time

At 36 years old, Briken Calja continues to defy time and compete among the very best. His result in Taranto was not merely another medal for his remarkable collection, but further proof of the extraordinary longevity of an athlete who has never surrendered in the face of adversity.

The gold medal, bronze medal and four Mediterranean records represent another glorious chapter in his career.

Briken Calja returned to the Mediterranean Games after 13 years—and returned as a champion!