Kamila Kanotop, a Ukrainian weightlifter, was injured in the back of her thigh and unable to compete for a medal in the 59 kg weight category at the 2024 Olympics. She finished in seventh place.
Apart from her weightlifting career, she is also in the limelight for her transgender speculations.
Highlights
- Kamila Kanotop’s gender is listed as female, but netizens speculate that she is transgender.
- She walked in her brother’s footsteps to pursue a career in sports.
- Athletes always expressed concerns about fairness regarding transgender athletes in weightlifting.
Kamila joined a club, Dynamo, and trained under national coach Yury Kuchinov and personal coach Valery Nikulin.
She won the bronze medals in the women’s 53 kg event at the 2016 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships and the 2017 Youth World Weightlifting Championships.
Likewise, she won the gold medal in the women’s junior 55 kg event at the 2019 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships and the silver medal at the 6th International Qatar Cup.
Moreover, she set a new junior world record of 212Â kg and won the gold medal in her event at the 2021 Junior World Weightlifting Championships.
Kamila Konotop Doesn’t Seems Transgender
Fans specualted Kamila Konotop is transgender without any concrete evidence, and the Ukrainian weightlifter has yet to talk about these rumors.
Her gender is listed as female in various sports databases.
Is Ukrainian Kamila Konotop a woman who took part in the Olympic women's weightlifting competition? Are you sure?
— Mürvet Aytar Çöllü (@AytarCollu) August 8, 2024
XX?#SaveWomensSports #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/MonGTqrJrU
Weightlifting has always been a subject of debate regarding transgender athletes, with athletes expressing concerns about fairness.
New Zealand athlete Laurel Hubbard was the first openly transgender woman to compete in weightlifting after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) modified qualifying requirements for the Tokyo Games.
Females were told to be quiet when they complained about the fairness of the competition.
I’m quite disappointed, quite disappointed for the female athlete who will lose out on that spot. We’re all about equality for women in sport, but right now, that equality is being taken away from us.
Former Olympic weightlifter Tracey Lambrechs told TVNZ
On the other hand, Kamila Kanotop has kept her personal life private. There isn’t any news regarding her being in a romantic relationship with male gender.
Thus, her low-profile lifestyle boasts her transgender rumors.
Additional Information
- 23 years old Kamila Kanotop was born in Lyman, Ukraine, on March 23, 2001, and resides in Kharkiv.
- She attended the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Education and followed her brother’s footsteps to pursue a career in sports.
- Kamila won gold medals in the women’s 59 kg event at the 2023 and 2024 European Weightlifting Championships.
