20-year-old Sunniva Hofstad from Trondheim is the first Norwegian female boxer to qualify for the Olympics. In Paris, she goes for gold in the 75-kilogram class – middle weight. – Yes, there is no point in entering a tournament with any other goal, she smiles. Boxing studio in the garage The 20-year-old has impressed boxing Norway in recent years. She has gold in the Junior WC, and two golds in the European Championships. At home in Trondheim, she has an entire garage at her disposal for training. Sunniva Hofstad is looking forward to the Olympics in Paris, and believes it is natural to go for the gold medal. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news – Dad has made a boxing studio, because there has never been a car here. The garage was particularly important in the corona era, but I still use it, says Hofstad, who does not hide that the venture costs a lot of money. And for now there are few sponsors. – Dad is probably my most important sponsor, but I hope for more and bigger sponsors in the long term. Believe in Olympic success It is Otto von Porat who has won the only Norwegian Olympic gold in boxing. It just happened in Paris in 1924. – Now I hope that history repeats itself 100 years later, says Sunniva. In the Olympic qualification in March, she beat Sweden’s Love Holgersson by knockout. She and Omar Shiha are the Norwegian boxers who are qualified. Norway has not had boxers in the Olympics since Jørn Johnsen participated in Atlanta in the USA in 1996. news’s boxing expert Anders Werner Øfsti has good faith in Olympic success for the 20-year-old. – 16 girls are qualified in Sunniva’s weight class, and she has beaten many of them. She has so much physique, good skills and “a good eye for the game” that it can quickly go all the way. And it would have been good with Olympic gold again, 100 years after Otto von Porat. I think she will take it, says Øfsti. Otto von Porat won Olympic gold in boxing in Paris in 1924. Photo: NTB scanpix He adds that she has received a lot of help from the Olympiatoppen to get in top shape for the Olympics. – She also has a distinctive style, which her opponents don’t come across very often. Sunniva’s toughest challenger is Canadian Tammara Thibeault, with whom she trained in preparation for the Olympics. Hopefully she hasn’t revealed all her tricks. The 20-year-old with the boxing gloves she will wear when the Olympics for her part start on 31 July. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news Good club environment Sunniva Hofstad has been boxing since she was ten years old. In Trondheim, she boxes for a club that has a good girl environment, namely B-30. And that has been important to her. – In other places, girls hardly dare to show up because the environment is so macho. This is not the case in Trondheim. Here I can also get good sparring against boys. Otherwise, I have to travel a lot to spar, or bring girls here to get good enough training, says the 20-year-old. Sunniva likes both sewing and reading, but she’s not really that interested in boxing. – No, I don’t watch boxing when I have time off from training. I like to do other things, family and friends are also important to me. I also like to put on make-up and do my nails, says Norway’s Olympic hopeful. The Olympic tournament for Sunniva starts on 31 July. Then she fights her first fight. – I am really exited. This will probably be fun. I also get my own music adapted to me for the semi-final and final, she says. – Because I’ve been thinking about it. And if I win the Olympic final, the opponent will receive a Norwegian milk chocolate as a consolation prize. It’s the best chocolate in the world, she laughs. Published 31.07.2024, at 05.19
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Sunniva from Trondheim fights for first Norwegian Olympic gold in 100 years – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
