Solfrid Koanda Was an Electrician: 3 Years Later, She Won First Olympic Gold for Norway in 52 Years

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August 10, 2024August 10, 2024
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Solfrid Koanda Was an Electrician: 3 Years Later, She Won First Olympic Gold for Norway in 52 Years

Norway hadn’t won an Olympic medal in weightlifting since 1972 (a lone gold) until Solfrid Koanda came calling. Koanda, just 25, was working as an electrician three years prior to the 2024 Olympics. Then she tried her hand at weightlifting.

She ended up being pretty good at it: After being crowned the country’s first-ever World Champion in weightlifting in 2022, Koanda followed it up by winning a gold medal in the Women’s 81-kilogram event at in Paris.

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  • “I made a choice between my profession and the Olympic dream a couple of years ago. I chose this,” Koanda said on social media in April.

“I went to train after my work as an electrician every day when I was not using vacation to go to training camps.” Koanda’s determination and courage have paid off in spades.

Solfrid Koanda (81KG) | 2024 Olympics

The electrician-turned-weightlifter faced an uphill battle in Paris. Koanda entered the event as perhaps the most novice athlete in the field; her first international weightlifting meet was in April of 2021 at the European Championships. She placed fifth there.

Once the bar was loaded, Koanda had to contend with multiple previous Olympians from Egypt, Korea, and especially reigning Olympic Champion Neisi Dajomes of Ecuador who would end up winning bronze.

  • Yet Koanda had all the momentum in the world. Prior to Paris, she had gone undefeated in her six previous international weightlifting meets since early 2022, save for an incomplete “bomb-out” at the World Championships in ’23.

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Despite stiff competition, Koanda was considered a safe bet for the podium before the Games began. When the final bar fell in the South Paris Arena and the chalk had settled, Koanda walked away with the gold medal.

  • Snatch: 117, 121, 124x
  • Clean & Jerk: 148, 154, 162x
  • Total: 275

Koanda also set new Olympic records in the clean & jerk and Total en route to the top of the podium.

  • She attempted 162 kilograms for a new world record clean & jerk, but was unsuccessful.

Editor’s Note: All values listed are in kilograms. The “x” denotes an unsuccessful attempt, while the athlete’s best result in each lift is bolded.

The weightlifting Total combines an athlete’s best result of their three snatch and clean & jerk attempts and is the metric by which athletes are ultimately ranked. 

“It was a very bumpy road to Paris, I’ve had some injuries and operations,” Koanda said on Aug. 2. “There are a lot of strong women in my category. Fortunately, I’m one of them.”

More Weightlifting at the 2024 Olympics

  • Is Mihaela Cambei the World’s Next Weightlifting Superstar?
  • 5 Weightlifters Injured During Men’s 89KG Event at 2024 Olympics
  • Antonino Pizzolato Wins Controversial Bronze Medal for Italy

Featured Image: @98solfrid / Instagram

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