– It was heavy and emotional. It’s been a nerve-wracking week, and felt like I’ve been in a kind of pressure cooker all week really. It was hard, but it worked. That’s what a clearly moved and satisfied Kristin Julianne Vollstad says to news, just minutes after she won her third EC gold. Because the build-up to Friday’s EC gold has been anything but simple. – I lost my grandmother a few weeks ago, says the 33-year-old, while the tears press on. TEARS: The build-up to the EC has been anything but easy for the 33-year-old from Troms, who says that she lost her grandmother a few weeks ago. Photo: Private – Role model for all With the loss of one of her closest, in the middle of a demanding run-up to the EC, things have been far from easy, says the kickboxer from Nordreisa in Troms. – I think it was quite a tough run-up, not being able to go home and go to the funeral. But I got to say goodbye and I think it was nice. I am happy that I have managed to stand up to it, and that it has gone well, says Vollstad. Although the 33-year-old can previously boast three World Cup golds and now also three European Championship golds so far in her career, she values Friday’s gold extra highly. – I know that I have a large family that comes along and cheers me on. I know grandma was rooting for me too. National team manager Trond Stanghelle is impressed by what Vollstad, who is described by many as the “queen” of Norwegian and international kickboxing, is achieving. – She supports everyone else, and is the queen of the team. She is a role model for everyone, and makes sure that everyone is well taken care of., says Stanghelle, before he continues: – I hardly have words for how impressed I am by that. What she struggles with and the pressure she puts on herself, it doesn’t really affect her compared to when she is with the others. Big medal haul The 33-year-old from Nordreisa is far from the only one to return home with precious metal in his luggage from the EC in Greece. Henry Macpherson, Kian Golpira and Mariell Straume all go home with a bronze medal in full contact. Nils Josef Løfsgren (light contact), Thea Sighaug Vatshelle (full contact) and Oliva Braastad (full contact) each go home with a silver medal. On Saturday, Dilek Celik secured Norway’s second gold, and tenth medal overall, when she won the final in the 65-kilogram class in full contact against Ukrainian Viktoriia Boiarsjenko. – It is absolutely incredible. It has only started to sink in now. It is incredibly nice to become European champion, she says. TOP: On Saturday, Dilek Celik received proof that she is the European kickboxing champion. Photo: Trond Stanghelle / Norwegian Kickboxing Association Celik had her breakthrough last year, when she took bronze in the WC. Now it went all the way for the kickboxer. – It was a tough final match. I was calm and cool throughout, so I managed to pull it off well, she describes. Big medal haul National team manager Trond Stanghelle is proud of what the Norwegian athletes have achieved in the Norwegian medal haul in Greece. – This is a championship with over 1,000 participants from 40 nations, so I am very proud and satisfied with what the team has achieved, says Stanghelle. – Where would you say that Norwegian kickboxing is now compared to before? – Norwegian kickboxing, especially full contact, has been in a very good place for many years, and we are still there. We may be on our way even a step further than we have been. We are in a good place, and we have to work hard to stay there, he says. SILVER: Thea Sighaug Vatshelle, like Nils Josef Løfsgren and Oliva Braastad, travels home with a silver medal in her luggage. Photo: Trond Stanghelle / Norwegian Kickboxing Association He himself is most proud of the unity in the Norwegian squad. – It’s a group enjoying themselves on a trip. Nice harmony, safe, good and pleasant, he says, and is supported by silver winner Oliva Braastad. – We are a very nice group in both the club and the team that is traveling now. We have a lot of fun both before, during and after training. We are a very close-knit group who love each other and what we do, says the silver winner in the 52-kilogram class, who, like Vollstad, is from Nordreisa. SILVER CELEBRATION: Oliva Braastad could celebrate European Championship silver. The picture is from a previous match in the championship. Photo: Trond Stanghelle / Norwegian Kickboxing Association Published 09.11.2024, at 22.18
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Kristin Vollstad in tears after European Championship gold in kickboxing in Greece – news Troms and Finnmark
