From Struggles to Strength: Solfrid Koanda Sets a Record as Norway’s First Female Olympic Champion in 20 Years

Case Summary

• Solfrid Koanda is the first Norwegian woman in 20 years to win individual gold at the Summer Olympics.
• She started with weightlifting four years ago and is now a European champion, world champion, and Olympic champion.
• Koanda had a tough childhood and adolescence. She moved to Norway at the age of 9 and ended up in foster care at 15.
• She began training to have a smaller body but eventually shifted focus to valuing her own strength.
• After winning the Olympic gold, she has become a role model for many and receives messages from people who say they look up to her.
• Koanda hopes to continue pursuing weightlifting full-time but needs financial support to do so.

The summary is created by an AI service from OpenAI. The content has been quality assured by NRK’s journalists before publication.

In the premises of Lillesand Crossfit, Solfrid Koanda stands with coach Frank Leandro Fredriksen.

Koanda has recently returned home after winning an Olympic gold in Paris.

She started weightlifting four years ago. Today she is a European champion, world champion, and now also an Olympic champion.

Foto: Snorre Tønset / NRK

She is thus the first Norwegian woman to win an individual gold in a Summer Olympics in 20 years.

It all started with a phone call from coach Frank Leandro in 2020.

– He was part of much of the journey at the beginning and has always believed in me. It was probably him who started it all and showed me what weightlifting is, she says.

Uncertain Start

The coach notes that Koanda came to the first training sessions as an insecure girl.

– She didn’t have much self-confidence at first. She found it scary. But I saw her physical strength right away, says Frank Leandro Fredriksen.

A lot has changed since then.

– The fact that he believed in me helped me come out of my shell a bit, says Koanda.

Solfrid Koanda did not initially realize that she had become an Olympic champion.

Strong Already as a Child

There is little doubt that Koanda’s physique stands out.

As a toddler, she would often throw a rice sack over her shoulder and run up the stairs at home.

– There is a childhood photo of me with muscles, and that is not so common. I have always had strength in me.

Solfrid Koanda has always been strong. Already as a child, she had visible muscles.

Foto: Private

With her Finnish mother and Ivorian father, Koanda moved from Finland to Norway at the age of 9.

Everything was unknown.

Ended Up in Foster Care

Koanda talks about tough childhood and teenage years in Grimstad.

At 15, she ended up in foster care.

– It was tough already when I was 9 years old and moved to Norway, and everything was unfamiliar. Then it happened again. It was difficult to cope.

It is tough for Solfrid Koanda to talk about her childhood and teenage years. Here she receives a hug from her friend Linn Neset.

Foto: Snorre Tønset / screenshot NRK

But in junior high school, she met someone who would prove to be important to her.

Her friend Linn Neset.

– She was the one who invited me to the gym for the first time. I can honestly admit that when I first started training, it was to get a smaller body, Koanda recalls.

Took Charge of Her Self-Image

Around the lunch table at her friend Linn’s place in Grimstad, tears come as she shares how she viewed herself during her teenage years.

– I didn’t feel like I mattered much. I have worked a lot on my mindset and just focused on surviving, she says.

Previously Solfrid Koanda trained to become smaller. Now her focus is different.

Foto: Snorre Tønset / NRK

Koanda says she trained to have smaller thighs and arms. But over time she managed to change her view of her own body.

– I learned to change my focus. I wanted big arms and big thighs. That’s what makes me good at what I’m good at, Koanda smiles.

Has Become a Role Model

After the Olympic gold, many have come to notice the strong girl from the south.

– I receive messages from both friends and strangers saying they look up to me and that they now dare to be themselves and do what they want.

The support from the public means a lot. But now those with the money also need to come on board.

Electrician or Elite Athlete

Koanda worked as an electrician until 2022 but quit her job to pursue weightlifting full-time.

If she is to continue her pursuit, she must stop being an electrician.

Coach Frank Leandro Fredriksen is clear.

– If we want to see her for many more years, and towards the next Olympics, World Championships, and European Championships, people must help support so she can train one hundred percent.

Do you hope this is the last time we see you without sponsors on your clothes, Koanda?

– I hope people notice the work I put in and want to be part of the journey ahead. If not, it will be job applications instead of sponsorship applications, Koanda smiles.

Solfrid Koanda wants to continue but depends on sponsors coming on board.

Foto: Snorre Tønset / NRK

Published

24.08.2024, at 19:45