Gunhild Bentzen Følstad (born 3 November 1981) is a Norwegian former
football defender from Overhalla near
Namsos. The daughter of a football trainer, she played for
Trondheims-Ørn
Rosenborg Ballklub Kvinner (previously known as Sportsklubben Trondheims-Ørn) is a Norwegian women's professional football club in Trondheim, Trøndelag.
History
The club was founded as a multi-sports club on May 18, 1917, and became a mem ...
and the
Norway women's national football team, making 76 appearances. She is a qualified physiotherapist and her hobbies are skiing, reading and music.
Følstad
captained Norway in one match against
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in the
Four-Nations Tournament in Guangzhou in January 2006. In a match played in pouring rain China won 3-1.
She played as a central defender for her club and was a strong, quick and reliable player who played equally well at right- or left-back in the national team. Her throw-in to the six-yard box from the sideline was a useful weapon.
At the
2007 Women's World Cup
The 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, the fifth edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, was an international association football competition for women held in China from 10 to 30 September 2007. Originally, China was to host the 2003 edition, but t ...
in China in September 2007 Følstad played in matches watched by 50,000 spectators. Norway finished the tournament in 4th place.
On 9 June 2008 she was named to the Norwegian roster for the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
to be held in Beijing, China. On 6 August 2008, as a left-back in an attacking position, she provided the pass for the 1–0 goal by
Leni Larsen Kaurin
Leni Larsen Kaurin (born 21 March 1981) is a Norwegian football midfielder who has made almost 100 appearances for the Norway women's national football team. Kaurin represented her country in the 2009 and 2013 editions of the UEFA Women's Champi ...
in Norway's 2–0 defeat of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in Qinhuangdao, which was then the quickest goal in the history of the tournament. The team reached the quarter finals where they lost to
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
Gunhild Følstad announced her retirement from football at the end of 2008 to pursue her career as a physiotherapist in
Namsos. Her partner is Hallvard Wågheim; their first child, a son, was born in
Skage
Skage is a village in the municipality of Overhalla in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the river Namsen, about west of the municipal center, Ranemsletta, and about east of the town of Namsos.
The village lies ...
on 16 May 2010.
International goals
:''Scores and results list Norway's goal tally first.''
References
External links
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1981 births
Living people
Norwegian women's footballers
Norway women's international footballers
SK Trondheims-Ørn players
Toppserien players
Olympic footballers for Norway
Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2003 FIFA Women's World Cup players
2007 FIFA Women's World Cup players
Women's association football defenders
People from Namsos
People from Overhalla
Footballers from Trøndelag
21st-century Norwegian women
21st-century Norwegian people
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