Who is Roilya Ranaivosoa?

Roilya Ranaivosoa, also known as Marie Hanitra Roilya Ranaivosoa, is a weightlifter from Mauritius who competes in the 48 kg division at international competitions.  She also participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, where she finished in 11th place in the women’s 49 kg event. She last participated in the Commonwealth Games in 2022, where she won silver, losing ultimately to Mirabai Chanu, who won gold and also set new Commonwealth Games record.

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Roilya Ranaivosoa was born on November 14, 1990 in Curepipe, Mauritius. She is of Malagasy heritage. At the 2015 African Games, she won silver when she lifted a total of 183 kgs (80 kgs snatch and 103 kgs Clean & Jerk) in the 53 kg event. However, her silver converted to gold after Nigerian gold medallist Elizabeth Onuah was disqualified after being banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after testing positive for illegal substances. 

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After it was determined that Onuah was using the illegal diuretic amiloride, she received an eight-year suspension. The Nigerian had already been barred from using amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide from March 2010 to 2012, which made this was her second offence, hence the longer suspension. At the next edition of African Games, Ranaivosoa again won a gold, lifting a total of 169 kgs (75 kgs snatch and 94 kgs Clean & Jerk) in the 49 kg event. 

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In the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Roilya Ranaivosoa was the lone medal winner for Mauritius, when she won a silver in weightlifting in the 48 kg event. She  lifted a total of 170 kgs (76 kgs snatch and 94 kgs Clean & Jerk), losing out to eventual winner Mirabai Chanu. In the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, she lifted a total of 172 kgs (76 kgs snatch and 96 kgs Clean & Jerk), but as fate would have it, lost to Olympics silver medallist Chanu.