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Solfrid Koanda
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 lifeSolfrid 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] Career2020–2021Koanda 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 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 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 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 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 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–presentKoanda 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. 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 lifeKoanda 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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