Forde, Norway, Oct 10 (UNI) Despite strong competition and two unsuccessful attempts, Olympic champion Solfrid Koanda delighted a full house of local spectators by clinching two gold medals in the women’s 86kg category at the IWF World Championships held at Fordehuset here on Thursday.
Koanda, Norway’s first female Olympic and world weightlifting champion, was closely challenged in both events by Yudelina Mejia of the Dominican Republic, who maintained the lead until Koanda’s final clean and jerk lift.
Koanda lifted 152kg in her third clean and jerk attempt, achieving a total of 272kg to claim the overall title. She placed second in the snatch on 120kg.
“That was my best day. It was unbelievable to see people wearing my name on their shirts and to perform here for such a wonderful home crowd,” Koanda said. She was in tears and lying on the floor after securing her victory following Mejia’s failure on her last lift.
