Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | (1990-02-19) 19 February 1990 (age 34) Elbasan, Albania | ||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 69 kg (152 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Military career | |||||||||||||||||||||
Allegiance | Albania | ||||||||||||||||||||
Service | Albanian Armed Forces | ||||||||||||||||||||
Years of service | 2022– | ||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | Colonel | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Albania | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Weightlifting | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event | 69 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Briken Calja (born 19 February 1990, Elbasan) is an Albanian weightlifter, Olympian, and European Champion competing in the 69 kg category until 2018 and 73 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. He won the silver medal in the men's 73 kg event at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Career
Calja competed for Albania at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where he finished 9th in his weight class after lifting a total weight of 320 kg. In 2013 Calja was suspended for two years for using androsterone.
He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in 69kg division where he finished in 5th place after lifting 326 kg. In 2018 Calja became European champion in the 2018 European Weightlifting Championships in Bucharest.
Major results
Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||||
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1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||||
Representing Albania | ||||||||||||||
Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||
2012 | London, England | 69 kg | 143 | 8 | 173 | 174 | 177 | 6 | 320 | 6 | ||||
2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 69 kg | 145 | 7 | 175 | 181 | 5 | 326 | 5 | |||||
2020 | Tokyo, Japan | 73 kg | 151 | 7 | 184 | 190 | 4 | 341 | 4 | |||||
World Championships | ||||||||||||||
2006 | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 62 kg | 110 | 116 | 24 | 140 | 29 | 256 | 28 | |||||
2010 | Antalya, Turkey | 69 kg | 135 | 140 | 13 | 167 | 14 | 307 | 11 | |||||
2011 | Paris, France | 69 kg | 140 | 15 | 172 | 19 | 312 | 15 | ||||||
2015 | Houston, United States | 69 kg | 143 | 12 | 177 | 183 | 7 | 326 | 7 | |||||
2017 | Anaheim, United States | 69 kg | 142 | 4 | 175 | 5 | 317 | 4 | ||||||
2018 | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | 73 kg | 148 | 153 | 6 | 181 | 186 | 7 | 339 | 6 | ||||
2019 | Pattaya, Thailand | 73 kg | 151 | 156 | — | 181 | 13 | 337 | 5 | |||||
2021 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 73 kg | 152 | 154 | 156 | 182 | 186 | 342 | ||||||
European Championships | ||||||||||||||
2008 | Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy | 69 kg | 125 | 130 | 135 | 10 | 160 | 14 | 295 | 13 | ||||
2009 | Bucharest, Romania | 69 kg | 133 | 9 | 157 | — | 13 | 290 | 10 | |||||
2012 | Antalya, Turkey | 69 kg | 140 | 145 | 4 | 170 | 8 | 315 | 6 | |||||
2013 | Tirana, Albania | 69 kg | — | 174 | — | — | ||||||||
2016 | Førde, Norway | 69 kg | 142 | 145 | — | — | — | |||||||
2017 | Split, Croatia | 69 kg | — | 170 | 175 | — | — | |||||||
2018 | Bucharest, Romania | 69 kg | 141 | 143 | 146 | 171 | 175 | 321 | ||||||
2019 | Batumi, Georgia | 73 kg | 152 | 156 | 183 | 339 | ||||||||
2021 | Moscow, Russia | 73 kg | 152 | 184 | 336 |
References
- "Triumfi historik i Luiza Gegës si pasqyrë e mexhelisit tonë social-politik" [The historic triumph of Luiza Gega as a reflection of our social-political mexelis] (in Albanian). Prime Minister's Office (Albania). 25 August 2022.
Sportistët e punësuar aktualisht pranë Ministrisë së Mbrojtjes, që do të përfitojnë nga ky ligj gradën e kolonelit janë: 1. Luiza GEGA – "Kolonel", 2. Briken CALJA – "Kolonel", 3. Nora GJAKOVA – "Kolonel", 4. Distria KRASNIQI – "Kolonel"
- "Briken Calja Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- "PDF listing of 2018 Group A world championship entrants in 73 kg" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- Oliver, Brian (10 December 2021). "Weightlifter Calja agonisingly close to becoming Albania's first world champion in any sport". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- London 2012 Archived 2012-08-01 at the Wayback Machine
- "Sanctioned Athletes / Athlete Support Personnel". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- "Rio 2016". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- Oculus News (31 May 2018). "Briken Calja Europe Champion in Weightlifting with 3 gold medals". Retrieved 31 May 2018.
External links
- Briken Calja at the International Weightlifting Federation
- Briken Calja at the International Weightlifting Results Project
- Briken Calja at IAT Database Weightlifting (in German)
- Briken Calja at Olympics.com
- Briken Calja at Olympedia
- Albanian male weightlifters
- Weightlifters at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Weightlifters at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic weightlifters for Albania
- 1990 births
- Living people
- Doping cases in weightlifting
- Albanian sportspeople in doping cases
- People from Elbasan
- Mediterranean Games silver medalists for Albania
- Mediterranean Games medalists in weightlifting
- Competitors at the 2009 Mediterranean Games
- European Weightlifting Championships medalists
- Weightlifters at the 2020 Summer Olympics
- European champions for Albania
- World Weightlifting Championships medalists
- 21st-century Albanian sportsmen