It is September 2019. Kristin sees herself in the mirror. She despises her reflection. Talks down to himself: “Now you’re inept.” “Now you won’t get anything done”. The CrossFit athlete, who is known for fighting in competitions, is now fighting an internal battle with himself. The contrast is great from what happened only months earlier. Then she stood on the podium in the CrossFit Games – that’s the WC in Crossfit – as “Second Fittest Woman on Earth”. Taste it. The second most articulate woman in the world. How did he end up here? And how will she manage to get out of this dark drag? STRENGTH: Kristin Holte can push herself. Here during weightlifting. Photo: Achieved Media All-absorbing competitive instinct At the moment, you see Kristin Holte excelling in the Master of Masters. Here he shows raw muscle power and extreme stamina. She is merciless towards the other participants. Even the bundle of muscles and the very dedicated Olaf Tufte get to brag about the girl from Hokksund. Also when it comes to competitive instinct. Because if it only says about a round of yatzy, Kristin can get really hot. – When I’m on a cabin trip with friends, I have to consider whether playing games is worth it. Because if I lose, the rest of the evening will be ruined, she says, chuckling. This is how the 36-year-old has been since she was little. As a child in a sporting family, she knows nothing else than being active and competing. The father was on the national cross-country team. Mora was formerly an active gymnast. And her grandmother was a national team coach in gymnastics. – I’m glad I got to be active with breast milk, she says. LOOP TO: Kristin Holte in concentrated mode during one of the competitions in the Master of Masters Photo: HEIDI MARIE GOPEROD / HEIDI MARIE GOPEROD Love hard training as a child The joy of training meant that Kristin could spend hours playing football with her father. Trying to get the ball into the goal. And she was the type who wanted to spend the whole weekend in the gym. As an 8-year-old. – I love being in the gym together with grandma. I love the days when we had seven hours of training, she says. For Kristin and her parents, it was sport from morning to night. There was gymnastics, athletics and gradually Kristin started all-around. – I was a girl who wanted to take everything with me. I was good at most things, but not the best at anything, Holte points out. The passion for training was clearly present from a young age. But it also had a downside. EARLY CROCHET: Kristin Holte showed her gymnastics talent early. PRESENTATION: Kristin Holte really liked the social aspect when it came to gymnastics training. RUNNING: There was no sport that Kristin didn’t like! OUT ON TRIP: Kristin and the family skiing. Her father? It was cross-country skier Geir Holte. And his brother was Tor Håkon Holte. Both participated in the Olympics and WC for Norway. Like this, then you know. UP IN THE SKY: Kristin competed in multi-sport for many years before she opted for pole vaulting. Fear made her mute – I would prefer to win. My main focus was not to lose. That was the only thing I thought about. I was more concerned with not losing than improving my times, recalls Kristin. The winner’s instinct made her decide, as a 14-year-old, that one day she would become world champion. HIGH GOALS: In her school diary, Kristin Holte noted what she wanted to achieve. Photo: Private – It wasn’t that dangerous in what I became world champion in. But I wanted to be the best, she underlines. But with the strong passion also came the anxiety of not performing well enough. Every time it was time for a competition, Kristin disappeared into a bubble. It could last for several hours straight, and should preferably not burst. She made herself mute. No one was going to get her out of focus. Not once did her parents get to talk to her. – It was no fun, because there was such a great fear of failure. It was also quite tiring, because I was so angry and disappointed if I did badly. Pain and injuries Despite the negative thoughts, Kristin did well. Extremely good. And when she started secondary school, she chose to focus on pole vaulting. She quickly won medals, and successively took NM gold in the indoor pole vault. But then came the first of many setbacks. She was diagnosed with a foot injury in one foot. But like Sisyphus with the stone, Kristin refused to give up, and after fighting through four years of pain, her foot was fine again. Then she got the same injury in the other foot. – I had to be honest with myself even though this is not going to work. I can’t continue to take painkillers for pole vaulting. My legs are going to be completely destroyed. Holte had to realize that pole vaulting did not suit her body. – And it was very hard to see. It took away valuable years and good experiences from me. IN THE AIR: Kristin Holte had great talent in the pole vault. Photo: Private Identity Crisis The dream of becoming the world’s best in pole vaulting was now shattered. For Kristin Holte, it led to an identity crisis. – It was very sad, and I was very sorry. And entered a dark period. I had nothing to do with it. I no longer knew who I was. – I was supposed to become world champion. I was supposed to do sports. And then suddenly couldn’t do it. It’s tough to experience when you’re 22-23 years old, she underlines. Little did she know then that it was the women’s race once a week that would lead her back to the winning track. – It was social, and I got the spark back. The most important thing was being able to train, and feeling the good feeling it gave me. The turning point The energetic Kristin, who was used to pushing herself, took her experienced training background with her and became a super exerciser. She showed what she was made of through, among other things, the triple birch. But when she discovered CrossFit, all the pieces finally fell into place. – In the other sports, I could not vary the training due to the risk of injuries. But now I could finally train weightlifting, run, row and do gymnastics at the same time. – This was what I had been looking for all my life. It was a revelation. A turning point. And the feeling of mastery was extremely fun, says the Hokksund girl. Just like a top athlete, Kristin used all her energy on CrossFiit and the results came quickly. Everything is actually ready for her to assert herself at the top of the world in the Battle of London: Europe’s biggest competition in CrossFit at the time. Kristin was so ready. But eight weeks before the competition, the impossible happens. We’re going back to 2014. Two days of laughing In an acupuncture session, the needle in the chest goes further down than expected, and punctures one of Kristin’s lungs. The girl, who likes to exercise, is sent to the hospital with instructions not to do anything that could give her a high heart rate for three weeks. – Then there were two days where I just analyzed and felt sorry for myself, and brought in sympathy from others. Then I called everyone I knew would get empathy from, which only made me feel even more sorry for myself. Holte is heading down a negative spiral. She has to take action, and therefore calls her mental trainer. He asks: “How can we make the best of the situation we find ourselves in now?” Kristin reacts with anger. – I wanted sympathy from him too. And I thought: “This is bullshit, there is no way to make the best of it. MIMRAR: Kristin Holte looks back on all the battles she has had to fight with herself. Photo: Kjetil Solhøi / news Breathing and visualization But Kristin can’t bear to be like this for three weeks. She finds a book on mental training and starts reading. There is no question of standing above the competition. – I realized that I could not get into my best physical shape, and therefore chose to focus on mental training. She uses the three weeks she has left before the competition on mobility, breathing, visualisation, and focuses on what she can do something about. – I felt better equipped than I had ever been, but still terrified of not succeeding. My mental trainer told me not to tell anyone what had happened. He wanted me to be in the attacking situation. – It was very hard not to have an excuse in case things went badly. But the tactic works. Kristin wins and gets the big breakthrough. MEDAL: Kristin Holte with the flag in the air after the Crossfit Games, where she was the “Second Fittest Woman on Earth”. Photo: Privat From a medal to being bedridden The next goal is the Crossfit Games. So the WC in Crossfit. It is here that Holte takes the silver medal, and receives the title of the world’s second fittest woman. Holte is high on happiness, until it crashes again just a few months later. She is diagnosed with prolapse, in addition to carpal tunnel syndrome, which means that she has to operate on her hand. Lying in pain, she thinks that there is at least one thing she is good at. Namely mental training. – But now I couldn’t do it either. I dug myself down, and was unable to pick myself up again. Kristin does not dare to call her mental coach. The disappointment that she is unable to get out of the great psychological darkness is too great. It is now that she stands in front of the mirror and talks to herself. Isolation – I felt completely inept. I felt that I didn’t achieve anything, she says. The cheerful and cheerful Kristin suddenly does not dare to contact her crossfit friends. She is afraid they won’t hang out with her now that she can’t train. Kristin isolates herself. – I wanted to be alone. I took a lot of walks after each other. And I cried a lot. It was like a second identity crisis. – I had identified myself as a Crossfit athlete for eight years, and now it could be over. But Kristin is a warrior. And a warrior never gives up. BE YOUR OWN HERO: For Kristine Holte, it has been important to realize one’s potential. Photo: Private Decision in life For now, the battle starts with finding yourself back. The most important thing is to accept that the body is as it was and that it must be taken care of. She would also like to advise others who are in a tough phase in life. – It is important to allow yourself to feel all the feelings and thoughts that arise, but then you can choose what to spend energy on. According to Kristin, mental training has been decisive both in her sports career and in life. – It has given me a better weekday. It teaches you to focus on what you can control, and avoid spending energy on something that is beyond your control. The corona saved her Nevertheless, she is honest that the time with the prolapse and the operated hand was so difficult that she does not know how it would have gone if it had not been for the corona. – The corona saved me from the situation because I had to be at home. Without the pandemic, it is not certain that things would have gone well, admits the 36-year-old. Holte finally gets back on his feet, both mentally and physically, and decides to participate in the WC in Functional Fitness. In this championship, functional physical skills are tested, which can be found in weightlifting, powerlifting, fitness disciplines and gymnastics, among other things. Holte goes all the way to the top. She will be world champion. 14-year-old Kristin must have been satisfied with her latest performance. – That day I felt light. Once again, it was more relief that it didn’t go badly, than joy that it went well. I felt the pressure from 14-year-old Kristin. Kristin Holte with the Norwegian flag around her after she won the WC in Functional Fitness in 2021 Photo: Timecapmedia Looking bright to the future But without the inner drive it was also over. – My eyes no longer burned. Then I felt that I was not where I was supposed to be. Then I could no longer defend all the amount of training to myself or the family. In addition, Kristin wanted to decide herself when she wanted to quit. – It was good to feel that my body was working, and that I could get out in a strong way, and still have an active life without injuries, she says. And Kristin Holte has a lot to look forward to. She is pregnant, and both she and her roommate are looking forward to becoming parents. You can see Kristin Holte in Mesternes mester Fridays on news 1 or whenever you want on news TV.
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– I felt completely inept – Special
