Golden Lion 2026 marks 30 years of Lokomotiv 96 in Bulgaria

Lokomotiv 96 did more than host Golden Lion 2026. It turned the meet into a statement of control, finishing first in the team standings with 20 gold medals, 21 silver and 12 bronze for 480 points, well clear of CSKA Armwrestling’s 310. In a sport where reputation still travels table to table, the home club backed up its 30-year anniversary with the kind of numbers that still matter most.

The tournament ran from May 1-3 at Sportna zala Nikola Petrov in Gorna Oryahovitsa and was framed as one of Bulgaria’s most anticipated armwrestling events. The prize fund topped 3,000 euros, a detail that helped give the weekend an elite edge and drew athletes from Bulgaria and abroad, from established champions to younger prospects. The event also carried a clear message about continuity, marking 30 years since the founding of Lokomotiv 96, the first armwrestling club in Bulgaria.

Golden Lion’s logistics were as polished as its branding. Weigh-in was scheduled for Friday, May 1, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., then again on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., with a 200-gram tolerance. A judges’ seminar followed on Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., a small but telling sign that the event was built for proper competition, not just participation. The category list was wide, covering boys under 15, juniors under 18, youth under 21, men, women, veterans and disabled athletes, with the disabled division free of charge. Entry fees varied by age group and by whether athletes pulled one arm or both, and the registration rules were strict: athletes who failed to register online or submitted inaccurate information were charged double.

That depth showed up in the results. A separate class-by-class database listed individual outcomes across the field, including the sub-junior amateur 86kg division with names such as Georgi Dimitrov of Kraken, Burgas, and Denis Mihnev of Lokomotiv 96. Bulgarian National Radio had already underscored the club’s place in the sport by describing Lokomotiv 96 as the first armwrestling club in the country and noting that competitions through the club have been held for 30 years. Golden Lion 2026 made that history measurable again, with Lokomotiv 96 turning heritage into medals, points and another home-table victory.