Lola Odusoga, Miss Finland 1996, 2nd runner up Miss Universe 1996

Lola Odusoga, 18 year old student from Turku was crown Miss Finland on february 17th, 1996


While winning the title of Miss Finland she also won Miss Press and Favourite of the TV audience awards that night.
She also won our daily magazines polls for favourite miss from the Miss Finland 1996 finalists. She was the clear favourite all along

Despite the title and the popularity amongst finnish people, there were some that felt that you can't have a darkskinned Miss Finland.
Lola's father was nigerian and mother was finnish. Lola had lived all her life in Finland, spoke perfect finnish and had had a finnish upbringing just like any other finnish child. But to some, that didn't matter. They felt that Lola was not a proper finn and therefor should not be allowed to participate in Miss Finland or represent us abroad.

But all in all, Lola's sparkly personality and charm shut up most of the critics in the upcoming months and by the time she came back from Miss Universe pageant, no one said a word about her being a wrong reprasentative for Finland

When Lola left to Las Vegas to attend the Miss Universe pageant, many had high hopes but then some were still miffed about a black woman representing us. But majority of the feedback she had gotten was positive wich led her to introduce herself in the national costume parade with the following....

"Hyvää iltaa, I'm Lola Odusoga and I come from the country where tolerance and northern lights shine bright, FINLAND"


Lola shined with her personality and good performing skills throughout the whole pageant. She was a refreshing change to a finnish miss taking part in a big pageant. Lola did not have the "sorry for breathing" attitude at all. She didn't apoligize her existence. Wherever she went, people took notice. She had been a competitive dancer since her youth and this was noticed by the choreographer of the pageant as Lola was given a frontrow place in the opening number next to the reigning Miss Universe, Chelsi Smith.





Despite her doing well in the pageantweeks in Las Vegas, Finnish media can be a bit of a pain sometimes. They love to hype you up
and praise you, but if they see a chance for a scandalous and a selling headline, they take it. Just before the finals, a weekly magazine journalist arrived in Las Vegas and actually measured Lola's thigh



With a screaming headline that said "The judges will not tolerate these thighs"
Also in the article they slammed Lola's eveningown calling it a fiasko that makes her breasts look even smaller than they are.

Despite all this oh-so-encouraging writing, the 18 year old Miss Finland did not let that bother her at all. She finished 10th place at the preliminaries thus JUST making it to the top 10 on final night. But on the live telecast she just killed it. BRING IT ON! Her years of dancetraining were apparent on the swimsuit round and she carried the thigs that were said not to impress the judges, with grace and poise. Her walk down the stairs during evening gown competition was nothing but SPECTACULAR! Ladies, take notice.




Lola performed with poise and grace and was consistent through out the final telecast. Her shortcomings were clear on the final question when the more trained on speaking, Venezuela and Aruba gave better answers than now clearly nervous Lola. But despite that Lola Odusoga brought pride and joy to this country by finishing as second runner up. And forever shut the mouths of the few critics that were still left

Lola was welcomed back home warmly and given lots of prizes from sponsors.




Later that year, Lola took part in the Miss Scandinavia pageant.
And there were no suprise there when on October 4th, 1996 she was crowned as Miss Scandinavia for the year 1997




The following week, Denny Mendez from Italia flew to Finland. She had caused similar kind of reaction to Lola in Italy when she, as a black woman, was crown Miss Italy. Lola and Denny met up and no doubt share their experience of facing critisim. The following year, Denny placed in the top6 in Miss Universe


On february 16th, 1997 Lola Odusoga passed on the crown of Miss Finland to Karita Tuomola


But she did not dissapear from the limelight, not by a long shot

Lola had become so popular that she got lots of work in the following years. PR work, modelling, tv hosting.... you name it.
Even Miss Finland 1997, Karita Tuomola complained that she didn't get enough work in her year, cause everyone still wanted Lola, despite her not being Miss Finland anymore.

In 2000, Lola shocked the nation with getting silicone breasts..... It's just not a thing that finnish beauty queens do.
Lola defended herself by saying that she would have never done it in order to do well in beauty pageants, she did it to please herself now



In 2004 Lola gave birth to her first child Denise Patricia


In 2005 she married Jarkko Wallinkoski and thus changed her name to Lola Wallinkoski.


In 2006 they welcomed son Sylvester Ilmari Jalmari


With daughter Denise in 2010

Lola in 2007


Lola in 2008


In 2010


Lola hosting Miss Finland pageant 2012




At the moment Lola is also a host in a show called "Finlands most dreadful apartment" where an awful apartment get a makeover

Now at the age of 35 Lola shows to our new young beauty queens that she still has it when it comes to posing for bikinis

NEW pictures, summer 2012

Thank you Milka for this report. I love Iyabode Ololade (Lola) Remilekun Wallinkoski ( Odusoga ) She is amazing!