Rebeka Salsabil Ibrahim (born Rebeka Koha; 19 May 1998) is a Latvian-born Qatari weightlifter, two time Junior World Champion and two time European Champion competing in the 58 kg division until 2018 and 59 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.[1]

Rebeka Koha
Personal information
Nationality Latvia
Born (1998-05-19) 19 May 1998 (age 26)
Ventspils, Latvia
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight58.70 kg (129 lb)
Sport
Country Latvia
 Qatar
SportWeightlifting
Event–59 kg
Coached byEduards Andruškevičs
Achievements and titles
Personal bests
Medal record
Representing  Qatar
West Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Doha –59 kg
Representing  Latvia
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Anaheim –58 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Ashgabat –59 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Bucharest –58 kg
Gold medal – first place 2019 Batumi –59 kg
Silver medal – second place 2017 Split –58 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Førde –53 kg
Youth Olympics
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Nanjing –48 kg

She was coached by Eduards Andruškevičs, who has also been coaching Olympic medalist Viktors Ščerbatihs and Artūrs Plēsnieks.[2]

In 2023, Rebeka returned to weightlifting representing Qatar and winning Qatar Cup and West Asian Championships.[3]

Career

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She currently has junior world records in the clean & jerk and total in the 59 kg division.[4][5]

Olympics

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In 2016, she competed at the Summer Olympics in the 53 kg division placing fourth overall.[6][7] She was named Latvian Rising Star of the Year in 2016 after her performance at the 2016 Summer Olympics.[8]

World Championships

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In 2017, she competed at the World Weightlifting Championships winning the bronze medal in the snatch and total.[9][10][11]

In 2018, the IWF restructured the weight classes, and Koha competed in the newly created 59 kg division. She followed up her bronze medal performance in 2017 with stronger performance at the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships winning another bronze medal in the snatch and total and setting junior world records in the snatch, clean & jerk, and total.[12]

European Championships

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In 2016, she competed at the European Weightlifting Championships winning a bronze medal in the total in the 53 kg category. The following year she competed at the 2017 European Weightlifting Championships winning a gold medal in the snatch, and silver medals in the clean & jerk and total in the 58 kg category.[13][14]

At the 2018 European Weightlifting Championships, Koha swept gold in all lifts (snatch, clean & jerk, and the total) and became European Champion in the 58 kg division.[15][16]

Other Competitions

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She competed at the 2017 Junior World Weightlifting Championships, winning silver medals in the snatch and clean & jerk, but a gold medal in the total, becoming Junior World Champion in the 58 kg division.[17]

In 2018, coming off her Junior World Championships gold medal, she defended her title as the Junior World Champion by winning gold medals in all lifts at the 2018 Junior World Weightlifting Championships.[18]

Major results

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Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
2016   Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 53 kg 87 87 90 3 103 107 110 4 197 4
World Championships
2014   Almaty, Kazakhstan 53 kg 76 78 80 16 92 94 96 25 174 22
2015   Houston, United States 53 kg 84 86 87 9 101 105 107 16 192 10
2017   Anaheim, United States 58 kg 94 98 101   114 118 121 5 222  
2018   Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 59 kg 98 102 103   117 121 124 6 227  
2019   Pattaya, Thailand 59 kg 92 95 97 4 112 115 118 12 215 8
European Championships
2016   Førde, Norway 53 kg 87 90 92   102 105 108   198  
2017   Split, Croatia 58 kg 92 95 97   110 114 118   213  
2018   Bucharest, Romania 58 kg 90 95 100   110 115 120   220  
2019   Batumi, Georgia 59 kg 97 101 104   116 120 125   221  
Junior World Weightlifting Championships
2017   Tokyo, Japan 58 kg 93 96 99   111 117 120   219  
2018   Tashkent, Uzbekistan 58 kg 95 99 103   113 117 120   219  
2014 Youth Olympics
2014   Nanjing, China 48 kg 71 73 75 3 86 90 94 3 165  

Private life

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In spring of 2020 Koha became engaged with the Qatari discus thrower Moaaz Mohamed Ibrahim and on July 26 announced via her Instagram account she had converted to Islam.[19] On August 5 she announced her retirement from sport.[20]

References

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  1. ^ PDF listing of 2018 Group A world championship entrants in 59 kg
  2. ^ Medaļniece, rekordiste, skolniece Archived 2016-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Sporto.lv
  3. ^ Goodbye Rebeka Koha, hello Rebeka Ibrahima - a happy return for weightlifting star
  4. ^ "2018 World Championships 59kg results". International Weightlifting Federation. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Junior World Records Women". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  6. ^ Olympic.org. "53 kg Women". Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Weightlifter Koha places fourth at Rio Olympics". The Baltic Course. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Porziņģis un Ikauniece-Admidiņa atzīti par Latvijas gada sportistiem". Delfi. 22 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Rio Olympic Bronze Medallist defeated the reigning Olympic Champion". International Weightlifting Federation. December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Rebeka Koha wins bronze at World Weightlifting Championships". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Rebeka Koha wins bronze at World Weightlifting Championships". The Baltic Course. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  12. ^ "World Records: KUO four and CHEN one". International Weightlifting Federation. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  13. ^ "Weightlifter wins silver at European Championships". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Koha wins gold at European Junior Weightlifting Championship". The Baltic Course. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  15. ^ Galkins, Gundars (29 March 2018). "Latvia's Koha lifts gold at European Weightlifting Championships". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  16. ^ "Latvia's Koha triumphs at European Weightlifting Championships". The Baltic Course. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  17. ^ "Latvia's Rebeka Koha becomes junior world champion in women's weightlifting". The Baltic Course. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  18. ^ "The incredible one-woman show of KOHA". International Weightlifting Federation. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Latvia's champion weightlifter announces conversion to Islam". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  20. ^ Glazunova, Ludmila (August 5, 2020). "Champion weightlifter Koha quits sports career". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
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