There was a surprise away from the podium, though, with news of another positive in Albania, the country that withdrew as hosts of this event in January because of doping-related problems.

Joanna Lochowska, from Poland, won the 53 kilograms for a second straight year, finishing well ahead of the Italian pair Jennifer Lombardo and Giorgia Russo.

In the 62kg Georgia's Shota Mishvelidze and the Bulgarian teenager Stilyan Grozdev had an exciting head-to-head over the last four lifts, with World Championships bronze medallist Mishvelidze coming out on top.

The Albanian Romario Avdiraj withdrew after failing with his second and third snatch attempts, completing a forgettable day for his nation after news emerged of a positive for Evagjelia Veli, who was among the original entries for tomorrow's 58kg women's contest but has not travelled to Romania.

Veli, 26, was the only weightlifter among eight athletes awarded Tokyo 2020 Olympic scholarships by the Albanian Olympic Committee last week but within days she tested positive for clenbuterol.

Agron Skender Haxhihyseni, general secretary of the Albanian Weightlifting Federation, confirmed the positive after reports appeared in the Albanian media.

Veli has written to the Eastern Europe Region Anti-Doping Agency, which conducted the out-of-competition test on March 1, to explain that she was on prescribed medication for asthma, which may have resulted in the adverse finding.

Albania was unable to host the European Weightlifting Federation's flagship event because of the resignation of their national federation's President and board following a public outcry about doping.

The leaders quit after the announcement in January that Romela Begaj had tested positive at the International Weightlifting Federation World Championships in Anaheim, California late last year - her second positive at the World Championships.

Veli competed at 58kg in Anaheim, finishing eighth, and would have been a medal contender tomorrow in the same weight category.

In the 53kg class she was eighth at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and was fourth in last year’s European Championships.

Veli is Albania's 11th positive since 2011.

In the day's first medal event the clear winner was Lochowska, 29, the only athlete in the field to have lifted more than 200kg.

She totalled 196kg, ahead of Lombardo by 5kg, with Russo a further 5kg behind in third.

The host nation had another medal when Ionut Ilie took bronze in the 62kg, though he could never match the efforts of the top two.

The impressive 18-year-old Grozdev, who has won youth and junior European titles, led after the snatch but failed with his final clean and jerk attempt to finish on 293kg, behind Mishvelidze by 6kg.

Lasha Talakhadze, the Olympic and world super-heavyweight champion, joined a mass celebration on the podium by the Georgian team after the medal ceremony.