The audience of 4,400, the biggest crowd this century to watch a single session at the European Championships, roared every success by Simon Martrosyan and Armenia's big hope for the future, 23-year-old Varazdat Lalayan.

But while both Armenians missed lifts, Talakhadze, the multiple world record holder from Georgia, did not.

He extended his unbeaten run in the super-heavyweights to seven years, five months, on 222-252-474.

Talakhadze made five from five and declined his final attempt when he led by 12 kilograms from Lalayan, who had a career-best total on 212-250-462. 

Martirosyan was third on 195-245-440.

These three super-heavyweights were the only lifters to surpass the world record 89kg total of 395kg made by the Bulgarian teenager Karlos Nasar, who took the best male athlete award for the Championships.

The women's winner was Kamila Konotop from Ukraine, who made 235kg to top the Olympic rankings at 59kg.

Talakhadze won by only 4kg from runner-up Gor Minasyan and 5kg from Lalayan in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Bogotá, Colombia last December - the first Paris Olympic qualifier.

He had been struggling with his fitness and weighed nearly 10kg less than his 175.78kg here.

Minasyan, another Armenian who now lifts for Bahrain, was in the audience here.

"I feel better now, fitter than I did in Colombia," Talkhadze said.

"I enjoyed competing here, I enjoyed winning my seventh European title and I hope to be back for my seventh world title too."

He was referring to the possibility of Armenia - one of five bidders - hosting the 2024 IWF World Championships late next year, after the Olympic Games.

Talakhadze improved his World Championships total by 6kg with a lift to spare, making 210-217-222 in snatch and 246-252 in clean and jerk.

Lalayan missed two of his attempts, and Martirosyan missed one, declining his final attempt when he could not better third place.

Announcer Luca Di Marco constantly had to request silence from the crowd when lifters were readying themselves in both the women's and men's super-heavyweights.

The fans have livened up the nine-day Championships by creating a very good atmosphere throughout the week but have cheered failures by others when it benefitted Armenian medal contenders, drawing criticism from the IWF Athletes' Commission member Cyrille Tchatchet from Britain.

Armenia was hosting its first European Championships, and an Organising Committee official told insidethegames: "The crowd will learn, perhaps if we host the World Championships next year it will be different.

"It’s the first time we have had a big championships, the first time they have watched something like this.

"We will show information on how it should be in the media and on social media."

EWF President Antonio Conflitti decalred the Championships "a great success".