Cikamatana Eileen won 3 medals at the IWF Grand Prix II in Doha

On the ninth day of the IWF Grand Prix II weightlifting competition in Qatar, Australian Cikamatana Eileen clinched two bronze in Snatch and Total and a silver in Clean and Jerk in the 81 kg women’s category.

Snatch Performance

Having finished 5th in her previous outings in Snatch in the 81 kg women’s category at the 2023 World Championship, Cikamatana Eileen sojourned to Qatar with plans to get back to winning ways.

On a day with high intensity and pressure, she made three attempts. She won the bronze on her second attempt. On her first attempt, she failed to lift 111 kg. On her second attempt, she completed 111kg. She failed to lift 117 kg on her third attempt.

Her previous results and medals in Snatch in major events were:

• 2023 World Championship – 110 kg
• 2022 World Championship – 109 kg – Bronze
• 2022 Commonwealth Games – 110 kg – Gold
• 2019 IWF Grand Prix – 115 kg – Gold

Despite not completing two attempts and performing to her best as at the 2019 IWF Grand Prix, she showed resilience and strength to earn a bronze medal.

Clean and Jerk Performance

Cikamatana Eileen redeemed herself in Clean and Jerk, earning a silver medal on her second attempt. On her first and second attempts, she completed 143 kg and 149 kg, respectively. On her third attempt, she failed to lift 152 kg.

Her previous results and medals in Clean and Jerk were:

• 2023 World Championships – 146 kg – Bronze
• 2022 World Championship – 140 kg – Bronze
• 2022 Commonwealth Games – 145 kg – Gold
• 2019 IWF Grand Prix – 151 kg – Silver

Total Performance

Having won bronze and silver medals at the 2023 and 2022 World Championship in the 81 kg and 87 kg women’s category, Cikamatana Eileen fought tooth and nail to clinch a bronze in Total with 261 kg – her second personal best.

Her previous results and medals in Total were:

• 2023 World Championships – 256 kg – Bronze
• 2022 World Championship – 249 kg – Silver
• 2022 Commonwealth Games – 255 kg – Gold
• 2019 IWF Grand Prix – 266 kg – Gold

Balance and stability made the difference on the day. Should Cikamatana Eileen improve in those areas, she will be a force to reckon with.

About Cikamatana Eileen

Born in 1999, Cikamatana Eileen is an Australian weightlifter. She emerged victorious in the 81 kg women’s category at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Cikamatana Eileen was crowned the 2017 Fiji’s Sportswoman of the Year for her consistent efforts and incredible performances. At the beginning of her career, she represented Fiji but switched to Australia in 2019.

She is the first woman to win the Commonwealth Games for two different countries.

As athletes gear up to represent their countries at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Cikamatana Eileen will hope her performance in this competition will place her in pole position. She will look to rewrite her story in Paris.