Solfrid Koanda

Norwegian weightlifter (born 1998)

Solfrid Koanda
Personal information
Born (1998-11-13) 13 November 1998 (age 25)
Finland
Sport
CountryNorway
SportWeightlifting
Weight class87 kg
Medal record
Women's weightlifting
Representing  Norway
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 Koanda (born 13 November 1998) is a Norwegian weightlifter. She won the gold medal in the women's 87 kg event at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships held in Bogotá, Colombia.[1][2] She is also a three-time gold medalist at the European Weightlifting Championships.

In 2021, she won the bronze medal in the women's 87 kg event at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.[3][4]

Career

In April 2021, Koanda won bronze in the clean and jerk during the European Weightlifting Championships, with a new Nordic record of 135 kg.[5]

Koanda has been strength training in the gym since she was 15 years old. She trained crossfit at the age of 18 and started weightlifting at age 21. Her development was sensational and in February 2021 she qualified for the European Championships and set the Norwegian record 96 kg in the snatch and 125 kg in clean and jerk in a competition in Lillesand.[6]

At the 2021 European Junior & U23 Weightlifting Championships in Rovaniemi, Finland, she won the gold medal in her event.[7]

She won the gold medal in her event at the 2022 European Weightlifting Championships held in Tirana, Albania.[8][9] She also won the gold medal in her event at the 2023 European Weightlifting Championships held in Yerevan, Armenia.[10]

Personal life

Koanda was born in Finland to a Finnish mother and an Ivorian father. She left Finland for Norway as a nine-year-old.

Together with their parents, they moved to Grimstad, but when Koanda was 15, foster care became the new everyday life.

Then the conditions were more suitable for doing something besides the school. She started crossfit[11]

Koanda is 1.66 meter tall and works as an electrician.[6]

She lives in Arendal, Norway, and represents Kvadraturen Weightlifting Club.

Achievements

Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Rank 1 2 3 Rank
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 Riadh, Saudi Arabia 87 kg 115 115 115 — 140 150 156 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)

References

  1. ^ Oliver, Brian (14 December 2022). "Electrician Koanda lights up Norway's weightlifting history with world title". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ "2022 World Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). IWF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. ^ Oliver, Brian (16 December 2021). "Home fans celebrate as Djuraev adds weightlifting world title to Olympic gold". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  4. ^ "2021 World Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Overrasket med EM-bronse i vektløfting". Fædrelandsvennen. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Solfrid (22) er historisk sørlending". Aftenposten. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ Oliver, Brian (5 June 2022). "Landmark golds for Britain's Campbell and Norway's Koanda at European Weightlifting Championships". InsideTheGames.biz. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  9. ^ "2022 European Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). European Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  10. ^ "2023 European Weightlifting Championships Results Book" (PDF). EWF. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  11. ^ Langeveld, Espen (17 December 2021). "Forlot foreldrene som 15-åring – Nå er hun verdensmester". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 4 March 2024.

External links

  • v
  • t
  • e
World Champions in Weightlifting – Women's Heavyweight
  • 82.5 kg (1987–1992)
  • 83 kg (1993–1997)
  • 90 kg (2017)
  • 87 kg (2018–)