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Solfrid Koanda

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Solfrid Koanda
Solfrid Koanda with a gold medal draped around her neck
Koanda in 2023
Personal information
Full nameSolfrid Eila Amena Koanda
Born (1998-11-13) 13 November 1998 (age 26)
Oulu, Finland
Height1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Sport
CountryNorway
SportWeightlifting
Weight class87 kg
ClubLarvik Atletklubb
Coached byStian Grimseth
Sindre Madsgaard
Thomas Eide[1]
Medal record
Women's weightlifting
Representing  Norway
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 81 kg
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Bogotá 87 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Tashkent 87 kg
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Tirana 87 kg
Gold medal – first place 2023 Yerevan 87 kg
Gold medal – first place 2024 Sofia 87 kg

Solfrid Eila Amena Koanda (born 13 November 1998) is a Norwegian weightlifter and former electrician who became the first female Norwegian weightlifter to become an Olympic champion, and the first Norwegian weightlifter to become World and European champion in the sport. Born in Oulu to a Finnish mother and an Ivorian father, she lived in Finland until moving to Norway at nine years old. She struggled with self-confidence and usually trained alone in a weight room before being put into foster care and began training in CrossFit. She was then recruited into weightlifting by a CrossFit coach who trained both sports.

A few days after training in the sport, she qualified for her first competition where she then set a national record. Another local competition qualified her for the 2021 European Weightlifting Championships, where she then earned a bronze medal and set new national records. Later that same year, she competed at her first World Weightlifting Championships and earned a bronze medal as well.

Koanda has won three Kongepokals. She won the 2022, 2023, and 2024 European Weightlifting Championships, and also became the 2022 World Weightlifting Champion. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in her event and set new Olympic records, where she was then hailed as the Female Athlete of the Year at the 2025 Idrettsgallaen.

Early life

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Solfrid Eila Amena Koanda was born on 13 November 1998[2] to a Finnish mother and an Ivorian father in Oulu, Finland. When Koanda was nine years old, she and her family moved to Grimstad, Norway.[3] In ungdomsskolen, she commented that she struggled with self-confidence because of her appearance and greater muscle mass compared to others. Due to this, she often disregarded her friends invites to participate in football or handball and trained alone in a weight room instead.[1]

After some years, she left her family at the age of fifteen and went into foster care and lived in a foster home. She also began CrossFit at this time;[4] she then moved out of the foster home at the age of eighteen.[3]

Career

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2020–2021

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Koanda began weightlifting in 2020 after being recruited by a coach who also trained in CrossFit.[2] She qualified for her first competition a few days later for the women's 87 kg event. At the competition, the 2020 Norwegian Weightlifting Championships [no] in Vigrestad, she placed second and set a new national record in the clean and jerk with 114 kilograms.[5][6] In February 2021, she set new three national records in the 87 kg division with 96 kg in snatch, 125 kg in clean and jerk, and a total of 221 kg at an online competition hosted by CrossFit Blindleia in Lillesand. She qualified for the European Weightlifting Championships at this event.[7]

Koanda made her international debut in April at the 2021 European Weightlifting Championships in Moscow, Russia, competing in the women's 87 kg event. She lifted 100 kg in the snatch, clean and jerked 135 kg for a new Nordic record and a bronze medal, and finished with a total of 235 kg for fifth place overall.[8] Her following competition was the 2021 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships in Rovaniemi, Finland. She snatched 103 kg, clean and jerked 140 kg, and finished with a total of 243 kg to earn the overall gold medal in the women's +87 kg event and set new national reocrds.[9][5]

In October, Koanda won her first Norwegian Championships, the 2021 Norwegian Weightlifting Championships [no] which were held in Spydeberg, after winning the gold medal in her event.[5] Two months later, she competed at her first world championships, the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She lifted 103 kg in the snatch, 141 kg in the clean and jerk and earned gold, and finished with a total of 244 kg for an overall bronze medal in the women's 87 kg event.[10]

2022–2023

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Koanda (right) holding her Kongepokal at the 2023 Norwegian Weightlifting Championships

Koanda was nominated for Female Athlete of the Year at the 2022 Idrettsgallaen in January. The award was won by skier Therese Johaug.[11] Five months later, she competed at the 2022 European Weightlifting Championships in Tirana, Albania, in the women's 87 kg event. She lifted 109 kg in the snatch, 143 kg in the clean and jerk, and 252 kg in the total for all available gold medals, new national records for all lifts, and becoming the first Norwegian weightlifter to become European champion.[12] She then won her first Kongepokal at the 2022 Norwegian Weightlifting Championships [no] when she lifted 111 kg in the snatch, 145 kg in the clean and jerk, and 256 kg in the total for the gold medal and new national and Nordic records.[5][13]

In August, Koanda suffered a stress fracture in her wrist which limited her training with a stick then progressing to the barbell until November, a few weeks before the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships in Bogotá, Colombia. In the women's 87 kg event, she lifted 113 kg in the snatch, 147 kg in the clean and jerk, and 260 kg in the total, earning all of the available gold medals, setting new national records, and becoming the first Norwegian world champion in weightlifting.[14][15][16] A month later, she was nominated again for Female Athlete of the Year at the Idrettsgallaen, where the title was given to Johaug.[17][18] Two months later, she won her second Kongepokal at the 2023 Norwegian Weightlifting Championships [no] in Trondheim when she snatched 115 kg, clean and jerked 150 kg, and finished with a total of 265 kg, earning the gold medal and setting new national and Nordic records.[14]

In April, Koanda was nominated as the Best Weightlifter of the Year by the European Weightlifting Federation, where she won the award.[19] Later that month, she retained her title in the women's 87 kg event at the 2023 European Championships held in Yerevan. She lifted 117 kg in the snatch, 155 kg in the clean and jerk, and 272 kg in the total for all available gold medals.[20] It was her last competition before cutting weight for the 2023 IWF Grand Prix I in Havana, Cuba, where she competed in the women's 81 kg event to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics. She snatched 116 kg, clean and jerked 150 kg, and finished with a total of 266 kg for the overall gold medal.[21][22] She then went on to compete at the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh to compete in the women's 87 kg event yet failed all of her lifts in the snatch and failed to register a total, yet won the gold medal in the clean and jerk with 156 kg.[23]

2024–present

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Koanda opened up her 2024 season by competing at the 2024 European Weightlifting Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the women's 87 kg event. She snatched 120 kg, clean and jerked 160 kg, and finished with a total of 280 kg for the overall gold medal.[24] A month after the competition, she won her third Kongepokal at the 2024 Norwegian Weightlifting Championships [no]. She then went on to compete at the 2024 IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, in the women's 87 kg event, where she snatched 123 kg in the snatch for a new national and Nordic record, 152 kg in the clean and jerk, and finished with a total of 275 kg to win the overall gold medal.[5][25]

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, she competed in the women's 81 kg event. She lifted 121 kg in the snatch, 154 kg in the clean and jerk, and finished with a total of 275 kg for the gold medal. She also set new Olympic records in clean and jerk and total, in addition to becoming the first Norwegian Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting since the 1972 Summer Olympics and the first Norwegian woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal at the Summer Games since the 2004 Summer Olympics.[26][24] She was the Norwegian flag bearer at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.[27] Following her win, she won Female Athlete of the Year at the 2025 ceremony of the Idrettsgaellen.[28]

Personal life

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Koanda possesses Finnish citizenship alongside her Norwegian citizenship.[29] She worked as an apprentice electrician before receiving a degree in electrotechnology. She worked as an electrician before becoming a full-time athlete towards the end of 2022.[2][10] She has been dating and living with Damian Zielinski, an electrician whom she met at school in 2016.[30] She currently lives in Grimstad and represents Larvik Atletklubb at local competitions.[24]

Achievements

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Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
Olympic Games
2024 France Paris, France 81 kg 117 121 124 — 148 154 OR 162 — 275 OR 1st place, gold medalist(s)
World Championships
2021 Uzbekistan Tashkent, Uzbekistan 87 kg 98 103 107 7 135 141 142 1st place, gold medalist(s) 244 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2022 Colombia Bogotá, Colombia 87 kg 108 110 113 1st place, gold medalist(s) 143 143 147 1st place, gold medalist(s) 260 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2023 Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 87 kg 115 115 115 — 140 150 156 1st place, gold medalist(s) — —
IWF World Cup
2024 Thailand Phuket, Thailand 87 kg 116 121 123 1st place, gold medalist(s) 152 158 158 1st place, gold medalist(s) 275 1st place, gold medalist(s)
European Championships
2021 Russia Moscow, Russia 87 kg 95 100 104 8 125 130 135 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 235 5
2022 Albania Tirana, Albania 87 kg 103 107 109 1st place, gold medalist(s) 133 138 143 1st place, gold medalist(s) 252 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2023 Armenia Yerevan, Armenia 87 kg 110 110 117 1st place, gold medalist(s) 145 153 155 1st place, gold medalist(s) 272 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2024 Bulgaria Sofia, Bulgaria 87 kg 114 118 120 1st place, gold medalist(s) 148 155 160 1st place, gold medalist(s) 280 1st place, gold medalist(s)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Solfrid våget ikke bli med vennene på fellestrening: – Det var vanskelig å være jente med muskler" [Solfrid didn't dare join her friends for joint training: - It was difficult to be a girl with muscles]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). 15 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Koanda, Solfrid Eila Amena". International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b Langeveld, Espen (17 December 2021). "Forlot foreldrene som 15-åring – Nå er hun verdensmester" [Left her parents at 15 – Now she is a world champion]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  4. ^ Bergh, Nicholas (10 August 2024). "På nattbordet har Solfrid Koanda en kontrakt. Den sier mye om bragden" [Solfrid Koanda has a contract on her bedside table. It says a lot about her achievement.]. Aftenposten (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Solfrid Koanda". Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  6. ^ Stensland, Rune (22 July 2022). "Løfter 40 tonn i uka for å vinne OL-gull" [Lifting 40 tons a week to win Olympic gold]. Aftenposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Solfrid (22) er historisk sørlending" [Solfrid (22) is a historic southerner]. Aftenposten. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Overrasket med EM-bronse i vektløfting" [Surprised with European Championship bronze in weightlifting]. Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian Bokmål). 11 April 2021. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  9. ^ "2021 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). European Weightlifting Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b Gill, Henrik (29 December 2022). "Slutter i jobben:– Skummelt" [Quitting her job to chase Olympic gold: – Scary]. Fædrelandsvennen (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Idrettsgallaen 2022" [Sports Gala 2022]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). 8 January 2022. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  12. ^ Oliver, Brian (5 June 2022). "Landmark golds for Britain's Campbell and Norway's Koanda at European Weightlifting Championships". Inside The Games. Archived from the original on 19 July 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Sikret seg kongepokalen etter solide prestasjoner" [Secured the King's Cup after solid performances]. Grimstad Adressetidende [no] (in Norwegian Bokmål). 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Solfrid Koanda tok nordisk- og norsk rekord under Norgesmesterskapet" [Solfrid Koanda set a Nordic and Norwegian record during the Norwegian Championships]. Norwegian Weightlifting Federartion [no] (in Norwegian). 5 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 July 2024.
  15. ^ "2022 World Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. 16 December 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  16. ^ Strøm, Ole Kristian; Tetlie, Lisa Amdam (10 August 2024). "Solfrid Koanda med tårefylt jubel etter OL-gull: – Trengte en liten gudinne" [Solfrid Koanda with tearful jubilation after Olympic gold: –⁠ Needed a little goddess]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  17. ^ "Nominerte 2023" [Nominees 2023]. Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  18. ^ "Therese Johaug kåret til årets kvinnelige utøver på Idrettsgallaen" [Therese Johaug named female athlete of the year at the Sports Gala]. Agderposten (in Norwegian). 8 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023.
  19. ^ "Weightlifter of the Year - European Weightlifting Federation". European Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  20. ^ "2023 European Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). European Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  21. ^ Oliver, Brian (23 April 2023). "Yerevan, Day 8: Solfrid Koanda wins in style and Armenia top medals table at European Championships". International Weightlifting Federation. Inside The Games. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024.
  22. ^ Oliver, Brian (16 June 2023). "Havana, Day 9: Norway's Koanda overcomes cramp to win a classic and take third place in Paris rankings". International Weightlifting Federation. Inside The Games. Archived from the original on 22 July 2024.
  23. ^ "Koanda med suverent VM-gull" [Koanda with superb World Championship gold]. NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  24. ^ a b c "Solfrid Koanda med tårefylt jubel etter OL-gull: – Trengte en liten gudinne" [Solfrid Koanda with tearful jubilation after Olympic gold: –⁠ Needed a little goddess]. Aftenposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). 10 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  25. ^ "2024 IWF World Cup Results". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  26. ^ "Koanda wins Norway's first weightlifting medal since 1972". BBC Sport. 10 August 2024. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  27. ^ Braidwood, James. "Every Olympic flagbearer for Paris 2024 closing ceremony including Alex Yee and Katie Ledecky". The Independent. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024.
  28. ^ "Solfrid Koanda Named "Female Athlete of the Year 2024" in Norway". European Weightlifting Federation. 8 January 2025. Archived from the original on 29 January 2025. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
  29. ^ Korkki, Riku (10 August 2024). "Suomen kansalainen voitti olympiakultaa!". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  30. ^ Thorsen, Thomas Skjeggedal (30 July 2023). "Satser alt mot OL: – Kjempevanskelig" [Bet everything on the Olympics: – Extremely difficult]. Agderposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 3 December 2023.
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