Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Oulu, Finland | 13 November 1998|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Norway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Weightlifting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight class | 87 kg | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Larvik Atletklubb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Stian Grimseth Sindre Madsgaard Thomas Eide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Solfrid Eila Amena Koanda (born 13 November 1998) is a Norwegian weightlifter. She is an Olympic champion and won the gold medal in the women's 81 kg weightlifting event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where she also set Olympic records in clean & jerk and total.
Koanda is a world champion and a three-time European champion. She won the gold medal in the women's 87 kg event at the 2022 World Championships, the bronze medal in the women's 87 kg event at the 2021 World Championships and consecutive gold medals at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 European Championships. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Koanda began weightlifting in 2020 and made her Norwegian Championships debut that same year in the women's 87 kg, where she placed second and set a new national record in clean & jerk. [5] In February 2021, she set new Norwegian records in the 87 kg division with 96 kg in snatch, 125 kg in clean & jerk and a total of 221 kg at a competition in Lillesand. [6] Koanda made her international championship debut at the 2021 European Weightlifting Championships, where she won the bronze medal in clean and jerk in the women's 87 kg event, setting a new Nordic record of 135 kg, and placed fifth in total. [7] [8] At the 2021 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships in Rovaniemi, she won the gold medal in the +87 kg event. [9] She won the gold medal in clean & jerk and the bronze medal in total in the 87 kg event at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships. [10]
In 2022, Koanda won the gold medals in snatch, clean & jerk and total in the 87 kg events at the European Championships in Tirana and the World Championships in Bogotá, becoming the first female Norwegian weightlifting world champion in history. [11] [7] [12] She retained her title in the 87 kg event at the 2023 European Championships held in Yerevan and won the gold medal in clean & jerk at the 2023 World Championships in Riyadh. [13] [14] Koanda won the European gold medals in snatch, clean & jerk and total for a third consecutive time at the 2024 European Championships in Sofia. [15]
Koanda won the gold medal in the women's 81 kg weightlifting event at the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris, where she also set new Olympic records in clean & jerk with 154 kg and total with 275 kg, in addition to becoming the first Norwegian Olympic gold medalist in weightlifting since 1972 and the first female Norwegian to win an individual Olympic gold medal at the Summer Games since 2004. [16] [15] She was the Norwegian flag bearer at the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. [17]
Koanda was born in Finland to a Finnish mother from Oulu and an Ivorian father. [18] When she was nine years old, the family moved to Grimstad, Norway. [18] She lived in foster care from age 15 to 18. [18] During this time she started CrossFit. [19] She also has Finnish citizenship. [20]
Koanda worked as an electrician before becoming a full-time athlete towards the end of 2022. [10] [7] She currently lives in Grimstad and represents Larvik Atletklubb. [15]
Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
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1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
2024 | Paris, France | 81 kg | 117 | 121 | — | 148 | 154 OR | — | 275 OR | |||
World Championships | ||||||||||||
2021 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 87 kg | 98 | 103 | 7 | 135 | 141 | 244 | ||||
2022 | Bogotá, Colombia | 87 kg | 108 | 110 | 113 | 143 | 147 | 260 | ||||
2023 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 87 kg | — | 140 | 150 | 156 | — | — | ||||
IWF World Cup | ||||||||||||
2024 | Phuket, Thailand | 87 kg | 116 | 123 | 152 | 275 | ||||||
European Championships | ||||||||||||
2021 | Moscow, Russia | 87 kg | 95 | 100 | 8 | 125 | 130 | 135 | 235 | 5 | ||
2022 | Tirana, Albania | 87 kg | 103 | 107 | 109 | 133 | 138 | 143 | 252 | |||
2023 | Yerevan, Armenia | 87 kg | 110 | 117 | 145 | 153 | 155 | 272 | ||||
2024 | Sofia, Bulgaria | 87 kg | 114 | 120 | 148 | 155 | 160 | 280 |
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