IWF European Weightlifting Championships 2024 – Women’s 59 Kg Division Recap

Day 3 of the European Championships in Sofia presented us with a breathtaking performance in the 59-kg weight category as lots of strong female weightlifters were going to prove their resilience and determination to get a qualification ticket to the Olympic Games.

Let’s spectate this category review to know all the highlights and most remarkable moments of today’s competition.

Ukrainian Konotop is in Effort to Set a New Record Takes Total Golds

Among 12 athletes who was included in the entry list, the following lifters deserve your attention:

Kamila Konotop, a Ukrainian lifter, a silver medalist at the World Championships in Riyadh, a three-time gold medalist at the European Championships, and a gold medalist at the Junior World Championships in Tashkent.

Nina Sterckx from Belgium, a three-time medalist at the European Championships, winning bronze and two silver medals; also is a two-time gold medalist at the European Junior & U23 championships.

Andreea Cotruta, a Romanian weightlifter who won gold at the European Championships in Yerevan, and gained gold as well at the European Junior Championships in 2019.

Snatch

The performance in the Snatch exercise started from 85 kg.

Name 9: MOROSAN Marinela – 85 kg
Name 8: GEORGOPOULOU Sofia – 90 kg
Name 7: SHCHAPANAVA Alina – 92 kg
Name 6: RIGAUD Garance – 93 kg
Name 5: COTRUTA Andreea – 94 kg
Name 4: RETULAINEN Saara – 95 kg

On this contest day, 55  % of all attempts were successful which is a below-average rate.

Top 3 Leaders’ Results

Now let’s analyze the Top 3 lifters’ performance:

🥉TCHAKOUNTE Dora – 98 kg
🥈STERCKX Nina – 101 kg
🥇KONOTOP Kamila – 105 kg

The bronze medalist of today’s competition became Tchakounte Dora from France who failed to lift 95 kg on the first attempt, then she ordered the same weight and the second attempt resulted in success. The third try of 98 kg brought her the bronze medal.

The silver medalist was Nina Srerckx from Belgium: she lifted 98 kg successfully on the first attempt, then she coped with 101 kg on the second attempt. But the third one of 103 kg resulted in no lift.

The winner of the Snatch exercise became Ukrainian Kamila Konotop who performed 102 kg first and 105 kg on the second attempt, both successfully. Unfortunately, she didn’t manage to lift 108 kg and set a new World Record in Snatch she already shattered in 2023 of 107 kg. Nevertheless, she won gold in Snatch.

Clean & Jerk

The contest in the Clean & Jerk discipline started with a weight of 103 kg.

7: MOROSAN Marinela – 105 kg
6: SHCHAPANAVA Alina – 110 kg
5: GEORGOPOULOU Sofia – 112 kg
4: TCHAKOUNTE Dora – 117 kg

48 % of all attempts in this exercise were successful, which is a below-average rate.

Top 3 Leaders’ Results

Let’s describe the performance of the Top 3 lifters:

🥉COTRUTA Andreea – 118 kg
🥈RETULAINEN Saara – 119 kg
🥇KONOTOP Kamila – 125 kg

Cotruta Andreea from Romania took a bronze medal in this session. She lifted 114 kg on the first try with success. Her second attempt to lift 118 kg resulted in red lights, but she managed to lift the same weight of 118 kg on the third attempt.

Saara Retulainen from Finland secured the silver medal and did all three good lifts: 114 kg on the first try, 117 kg on the second attempt, and 119 kg on the last attempt.

Kamila Konotop from Ukraine became the winner again showing impressive lifts. The first attempt was 121 kg resulting in a good lift. The second try of 125 kg also was successful, but she refused to lift on the third attempt claiming the gold medal.

Total Results

1: KONOTOP Kamila – 226 kg
2: TCHAKOUNTE Dora – 215 kg
3: RETULAINEN Saara – 214 kg
4: COTRUTA Andreea – 212 kg
5: GEORGOPOULOU Sofia – 202 kg
6: SHCHAPANAVA Alina – 202 kg
7: MOROSAN Marinela – 190 kg 

Considering the final results of both exercises, the bronze medalist of the category became Saara Retulainen from Finland who did 214 kg overall. She fell behind her opponent from second place by just one kilogram.

The second spot was occupied by the French lifter Dora Tchakounte who lifted 215 kg in the sum of two exercises.

The total winner of the 59-kg weight class was Ukrainian Kamila Konotop who surpassed her contenders by 11 kilos in total. 

Follow our upcoming reviews of the most stellar Olympic weight categories to know what athletes will reign the division and be able to become closer to the Olympic Games in Paris.