Iryna Dekha

Iryna Mykhailivna Dekha (, born May 14, 1996, in Kharkiv) is a Ukrainian weightlifter. She is a two-time Olympian and a four-time European champion (2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023).

Career Dekha started her trainings while studying at the Professional Sports College Kharkiv which graduates were, among others, Oleksiy Torokhtiy, Vanda Maslovska, Oleksandr Likhvald, Kamila Konotop, Viktoriya Shaimardanova.

She showed high performances in junior age, winning several medals, and managed to qualify for the national team. Her first senior championships was 2015 European Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she finished 8th, but next year she would become European champion.

Dekha competed for Ukraine at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She lifted in total 247 kg and finished 5th.

2017 European Championships in Split, Norway, was not successful for Dekha since she failed to lift any weight in clear and jerk. Later that year, she became champion of the 2017 Summer Universiade where she won the competition in the −90 kg category.

In 2018, Dekha debuted at the World Championships and finished 6th in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. In 2019, she was 5th.

Dekha was one of two Ukrainian weightlifters at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She went to Tokyo as reigning European champion after winning the title at the 2021 European Championships in Moscow, Russia. Though she finished 2nd in snatch at the Olympics, she failed to lift any weight in clear and jerk.

Dekha changed her weight category to 81 kg and won her third European title in 2022 in Tirana, Albania, where she lifted in total 253 kg and surpassed the silver medalist and her team fellow Alina Marushchak by 18 kg.

She won the gold medal in the women's 81kg event at the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships held in Yerevan, Armenia.

Major results Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank 1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank Summer Olympics 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 75 kg 111 114 116 4 133 138 141 8 247 5 2020 Tokyo, Japan 76 kg 110 113 113 2 131 131 131 — — — World Championships 2018 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 81 kg 98 101 103 6 117 121 123 10 226 6 2019 Pattaya, Thailand 76 kg 105 108 110 4 126 129 132 5 242 5 2022 Bogotá, Colombia 81 kg 117 120 122 138 142 142 6 260 4 European Championships 2015 Tbilisi, Georgia 75 kg 100 104 110 8 111 111 115 11 215 8 2016 Førde, Norway 75 kg 110 113 115 127 131 135 250 2017 Split, Croatia 75 kg 114 117 120 137 137 137 — — — 2021 Moscow, Russia 76 kg 110 113 115 130 135 135 248 2022 Tirana, Albania 81 kg 110 114 116 130 134 137 253 2023 Yerevan, Armenia 81 kg 115 120 123 135 139 139 258