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

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 full-time competitive 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 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.

The electrician-turned-weightlifter faced an uphill battle in Paris. Koanda entered the event as …