Norwegian Female Sportspersons

Tagged by the media as Boxing’s First Lady, Norwegian boxer/kickboxer Cecilia Braekhu scripted history by becoming the first female boxer to hold the WBA, IBF, WBC, and WBO titles at the same time. Colombian-born Braekhu was adopted by a Norwegian couple as a 2-year-old and began boxing as a teenager.

Leading former golfer Suzann Pettersen, also known as Tutta, was 6 when she participated in her first tournament. Initially also interested in skiing, Pettersen later focused on golf. Her illustrious career saw her win 22 titles, 15 of them on the LPGA Tour and 6 on the LET.

Grete Waitz was a Norwegian marathon runner who became the first female runner to complete a marathon in less than two and a half hours in 1979. A former world record holder, Waitz won a record nine New York City Marathons between 1978 and 1988. Grete Waitz is also remembered for winning the silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.  

Tiril Eckhoff is a Norwegian biathlete best known for winning two Olympic gold medals at the 2014 and 2022 Winter Games. She also has two silver and four Olympic bronze medals under her belt. Tiril Eckhoff has also found immense success at the Biathlon World Championships where she has won 10 gold, two silver, and three bronze medals so far. 

Nora Mørk is a Norwegian handball player best known for helping her national team win bronze medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. She is also a world champion and a European champion, having won two World Championship gold medals and four European Championship gold medals so far.

Stine Bredal Oftedal is a Norwegian handball player who currently captains the national team. She has helped her team win two Olympic bronze medals as well as three World Championship gold medals. Stine Bredal Oftedal has also helped her team win four European Championship gold medals. In 2019, the International Handball Federation named her World Handball Player of the Year.

Alexandra Andresen is a Norwegian heiress who made headlines in 2016 when she became the youngest billionaire in the world at the age of 19! She was named the world's youngest billionaire by Forbes for three consecutive years. Alexandra Andresen has also modeled for the equestrian clothing company KingsLand and has won several honors and awards in horse dressage competitions.

A pioneering figure in women’s tennis, Norwegian tennis legend Molla Mallory was the first female from her country to participate in the Olympics. She was also an 8-time singles champion at the U.S. National Championships, the only woman with that feat, and won an Olympic bronze, too.

A 5-time Olympian, Norwegian skier Marit Bjørgen has 15 Olympic medals, including 8 golds, which is a Winter Olympics record in itself. She had begun competing at 7 and also has 18 World Championship gold medals. Her use of an anti-asthma drug once caused doping rumors.

One of the world’s most successful ski jumpers, Maren Lundby is an Olympic gold medalist and a 2-time World Champion. The Norwegian sports star was also the world’s second female ski jumping Olympic champion. She stunned her fans by withdrawing from the 2022 Winter Olympics for weight issues.

Best known for winning 3 gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Norwegian biathlete Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has also won 11 World Championship golds and a World Cup overall title. She is also the second biathlete with a medal in all four individual events at the same Olympics.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Norwegian handball goalkeeper Katrine Lunde is now associated with the club Vipers Kristiansand. She has played for Russian, Hungarian, and Danish clubs too, and is also a 2-time World Champion. She is the twin sister of retired handball player and Olympic champion Kristine Lunde-Borgersen.

Norwegian former midfielder Hege Riise scripted history when she became one of the 3 women in the world to win the Olympics, the European Championship, and the World Cup. Post-retirement, she has coached the British women’s football team and the Norwegian U-19 team. Interestingly, she played with a boys’ team till 14.

Camilla Herrem is a Norwegian professional handball player best known for helping her national team win gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. She was also part of the team that won the bronze medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. With three golds, one bronze, and one silver, Herrem is the most successful player in the history of World Championships.

Henny Reistad is a Norwegian professional handball player. She was part of the national team that won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Henny Reistad also helped her national team win the 2020 European Championship in Denmark and the 2021 World Championship in Spain.

Norwegian footballer Ada Hegerberg became the top women’s club goal-scorer in UEFA history in 2019. She was part of the silver-winning Norwegian team at the 2013 UEFA Women's Championship. The Ballon d'Or Féminin winner has also been a 5-time UEFA Women's Champions League champion with Lyon.

Iman Meskini is a Norwegian actress best known for her portrayal of Sana Bakkoush in the popular teen drama streaming TV series, Skam. A practicing Muslim in real life, Meskini's representation of Muslim youth in Skam at a time when there was a rise in Islamophobia across the world was viewed as a fitting reply to those who spread Islamophobia. 

Norwegian handball player Heidi Løke is best known for her association with Vipers Kristiansand and for her 2 Olympic medals, including a gold in 2012. She has won several championships, including the EHF Champions League, the World Championship, and the European Championship. Interestingly, even her brother and sister are handball players.

One of the most successful female long-distance runners of her time, Norwegian athlete Ingrid Kristiansen was a World Champion and a European Champion. However, she missed out on an Olympic medal, as she finished 4th in the women’s marathon. She was also a talented cross-country skier in her teens.

Therese Johaug is a Norwegian cross-country skier who has won four Olympic gold medals. With 14 World Championship gold medals under her belt, Johaug is one of the most successful Norwegian cross-country skiers of all time. Although her 18-month suspension for doping in 2016 tarnished her image somewhat, Therese Johaug has remained an inspiration to many budding cross-country skiers.

Kari Aalvik Grimsbø is a Norwegian former handball player. She was part of the national team that won the gold medal at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and the bronze medal at the 2016 Games. At the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, Aalvik Grimsbø was named the All-Star Goalkeeper. She is also a five-time European champion and two-time world champion.

Amanda Kurtovic is a Norwegian professional handball player best known for helping her national team win gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. She was also part of the team that won gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 World Championship tournaments as well as the team that won the gold medal at the 2016 European Championship in Sweden.

The daughter of renowned Norwegian handball player and Olympic gold medalist Hanne Hegh, Emilie Hegh Arntzen is a talented handball player in her own right. She is associated with Vipers Kristiansand. Apart from winning an Olympic bronze medal, she has also been a World Champion and is a 3-time European Champion.

Kari Brattset Dale is a Norwegian professional handball player. She was part of the women's national handball team that won the bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. She also helped her team win the 2021 World Championship where she was adjudged MVP of the World Championship. Kari Brattset Dale also has a European Championship title under her belt.

Tora Berger is a Norwegian former biathlete best known for winning a gold medal each at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. At the 2014 Olympics, she had also won a silver and bronze medal. After winning a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, Berger went on to win a combined seven gold medals in the next two World Championships.

Caroline Graham Hansen is a Norwegian football player best known for playing an important role in Norway’s silver medal-finish at UEFA Women's Euro 2013. Counted among the best wingers of her generation, Caroline Graham Hansen is renowned for her dribbling skills. In 2018, she was named in The Guardian's 100 Best Female Footballers In The World list.

Gro Hammerseng-Edin is a Norwegian former handball player. She started her handball career in 1990 and was captain of the Norwegian national team for several years.  She was voted female World Handball Player of the Year in 2007. She last played for the club Larvik HK and won the Grundigligaen finals on the day she retired. 

Best known as a Chelsea midfielder, Norwegian footballer Guro Reiten has also previously represented Norwegian clubs such as Kattem and LSK Kvinner. She was also part of Norway’s 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup team and has been a 2-time FA Women's League Cup and FA WSL champion with Chelsea.

Being the daughter of Norwegian football star Ronny Deila, Thale Rushfeldt Deila was no stranger to sports as a kid. The talented handball player is associated with the club Fredrikstad BK, which also features her twin sister, Live Rushfeldt Deila. She won the silver medal at the 2017 Youth European Championship in Slovakia.

Although a qualified nurse, Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren, also known as Linka, gained fame as a handball player, with her 2 Olympic team gold wins. She has also been a World Champion and a 5-time European Champion. The Norwegian sports star is also the elder sister of handball player Betina Riegelhuth.

Norwegian-Icelandic footballer Maria Thorisdottir was always interested in sports, being the daughter of Icelandic handball coach Þórir Hergeirsson. Interestingly, the Manchester United defender had been a star juggler in her childhood. She has also played for Klepp and Chelsea and has tried her luck at handball, too, with Sola and Stabæk.

Retired Norwegian ski jumper Anette Sagen is mostly known for her bronze win at the 2009 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. She is also a 3-time Continetal Cup winner and won her first World Cup in 2013. She made headlines when she wasn’t allowed to jump K-185 in Vikersund even after performing well.

Norwegian footballer Maren Mjelde is best known for her association with Chelsea. The sister of former footballer Erik Mjelde, Maren began her youth career with Fri IL and later also represented clubs from Norway, Germany, and Sweden. Her achievements with Chelsea include 3 FA WSL and 2 FA Women's League Cup wins.

A 2-time Olympic silver medalist, Norwegian alpine ski racer Ragnhild Mowinckel is known for her association with the club SK Rival. She also has a World Championship bronze and 3 Junior World Championship gold medals in her kitty. A cruciate ligament injury had halted her career briefly.

Olympic bronze medalist cross-country skier Heidi Weng also has 5 gold medals at the World Championships. The Norwegian sports star is also a senior champion in fell running. She began ski-touring at age 3 and is close to her cross-country skier sister Merete. She is fond of cycling, too.

Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold is a Norwegian professional biathlete who has won three golds, two silvers, and one bronze medal at the World Championships. She has also won a silver medal and three bronze medals for her country at the European Championships.

Olympic bronze medalist Mia Hundvin is one of the most popular Norwegian former handball players. Though born to a music producer, she chose sports instead of music. She is also a budding photographer. Openly bisexual, she has previously dated Camilla Andersen and Anja Andersen but is now married to snowboarder Terje Haakonsen.

Kari Traa is a former freestyle skier who won a gold medal at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. She also has an Olympic silver and bronze medal under her belt. A four-time world champion, Traa gained notoriety in 2001 when she posed almost nude for Ultrasport. In 2002, she was named Sexiest woman in Norway by MANN.

Veronica Kristiansen is a Norwegian professional handball player. She was part of the national team that won bronze medals at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. She also helped her team win gold medals at the 2015 and 2021 World Championships. Veronica Kristiansen also has three European Championship gold medals under her belt. 

Known for her 3 Olympic medals, including a gold, Norwegian skier Maiken Caspersen Falla also has 10 World Championship golds in her kitty. One of the most successful female sprinters of all time, she has also been part of the reality show Best av de beste and the running contest Birkebeinerløpet.

Hanna Bredal Oftedal is a Norwegian retired handball player who represented her national team at the 2011 Youth European Championship and 2012 Youth World Championship, winning bronze medals in both the tournaments. Hanna Bredal Oftedal announced her retirement in November 2019 after suffering a serious injury.