Ajah Pritchard-Lolo (born 10 August 2002)[1][2] is a Ni-Vanuatu weightlifter. She qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 10 August 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 189 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Vanuatu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Weightlifting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | 81 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Simone Pritchard | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editPritchard-Lolo was born on 10 August 2002 and grew up in Vanuatu.[2] Her father was born in New Zealand, of Samoan descent, and her mother is of Samoan, Dutch, and French descent.[3] She has one sibling.[3] She attended school at JMG Lycée Francais until 16 and then attended Queen Margaret College, Wellington, in New Zealand, before returning to Vanuatu in 2021.[3]
Pritchard-Lolo competed in CrossFit events and is a qualified CrossFit coach.[3] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she began competing in weightlifting, while in New Zealand.[4] She continued weightlifting upon her return to Vanuatu, with the help of her mother, who opened a weightlifting club and later became the president of the Vanuatu Weightlifting Federation.[4]
In 2022, Pritchard-Lolo was selected to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games on a bipartite invitation, competing in the 87 kg event, where she finished eighth.[5][6] She attended the Oceania Weightlifting Federation Training Camp in March 2023.[7]
Her 2023 season included appearances at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in Saudi Arabia, the U23 Junior & Youth Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Apia, and the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands, where she won four medals: three silver and a bronze in the snatch, clean & jerk, and total events.[8]
She competed at the North Island Weightlifting Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, in June 2024. Later that month she received a universality selection to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 81 kg category, becoming the first-ever Olympic weightlifter for Vanuatu.[8][9][10] She lifted 197 kg in total and placed 11th among 13 participants.[citation needed]
Major results
edit| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Paris, France | 81 kg | 85 | 89 | — | 103 | 108 | — | 197 | 11 | ||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 87 kg | 85 | 14 | 105 | 111 | 14 | 196 | 13 | |||
| IWF World Cup | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Phuket, Thailand | 81 kg | — | 100 | 105 | 110 | 24 | — | — | |||
| Oceania Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | Honiara, Solomon Islands | 87 kg | 86 | 90 |  |
105 | 107 |  |
197 |
| ||
| 2024 | Auckland, New Zealand | 81 kg | 88 | |
105 |  |
193 |
| ||||
References
edit- ^ "Ajah Pritchard-Lolo". Olympics.com.
- ^ a b "Ajah Pritchard-Lolo". 2022 Commonwealth Games.
- ^ a b c d Natoga, Anasilini (26 March 2022). "Special moment for Ajah Lolo". Vanuatu Daily Post.
- ^ a b Ewart, Richard (11 July 2024). "Mother-daughter combo excited to put Vanuatu weighlifting on the map at the Olympic Games in Paris". ABC News.
- ^ Natoga, Anasilini (21 March 2022). "Ajah Lolo has booked her flight to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games". Vanuatu Daily Post.
- ^ "Commonwealth Games: Weightlifting - Women's 87kg results". BBC. 2 August 2022.
- ^ "Lolo invited to elite camp in Australia". Sista.com.vu. 29 March 2023.
- ^ a b Molivakoro, Vourie (25 June 2024). "First female weightlifter to compete in Olympic Games". Vanuatu Daily Post.
- ^ "Lifting Dreams: How Ajah Pritchard Lolo Became Vanuatu's Olympic Weightlifting Icon". VIMB.vu. 6 August 2024.
- ^ "Athlete count for Vanuatu". Olympedia.org.
