Last week, Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir took to social media and said the words that competitive CrossFit athletes never want to say yet somehow always know will inevitably come:
- “I’ve been thinking about this moment for a long time, and I can’t believe I’m about to say this out loud, but I’ve decided to retire from competing in CrossFit.”
One of the genuinely esteemed veterans of the sport, the hole Davidsdottir leaves will be palpable. Here is a totally not comprehensive look at her incredible career.
The Beginning
Katrin Davidsdottir burst onto the CrossFit scene in 2012.
A native of Reykjavik, Iceland, Davidsdottir grew up a gymnast with the perfect athletic background to excel in CrossFit. After seeing another Icelandic woman win the Games in 2011 — Annie Thorisdottir — Davidsdottir was all in.
Davidsdottir described how it all started in an exclusive interview with the Morning Chalk Up:
- “My first introduction to CrossFit was seeing Annie on the news after she won the Games in 2011. They showed clips of her competing, and I remember wanting to do just that – from the beginning, my goal was to become a Games athlete.”
She started the foundations course at Thorisdottir’s affiliate and was in awe when Annie herself walked in to coach one of her classes.
Thorisdottir even knew Katrin’s name, which impacted the youngster to the core.
- “Since that day, that has stuck with me, of how much it means to people to hear their name,” Davidsdottir said. “Especially from somebody they look up to so much.”
Davidsdottir improved quickly, and Annie invited her to train together.
Davidsdottir took second place in the Europe Regional in 2012 and qualified for her first CrossFit Games after being introduced to the sport for less than a year. She was just 19 years old.
At the 2012 Games, she finished 30th and was cut after the Chipper workout. Still, witnessing Thorisdottir’s victory and the overall experience at the Games helped Davidsdottir realize she was heading down the right path.
She returned to the Games the following year with a slightly better result, but it was the 2014 season that really lit the fire for Davidsdottir.
- In a clear position to qualify out of Europe again, Davidsdottir found herself in a battle with a legless rope climb, a relatively new movement in competition that season.
The workout was 10 rounds of one legless rope climb and a 200m sprint. Knowing that legless rope climbs were a weakness for her, Davidsdottir was able to complete seven.
However, she failed on the eighth and crumbled onto the floor with tears in her eyes. It was a mental breakdown, and she ultimately lost the qualifying spot.
Davidsdottir took 24th in that event and failed to qualify for the Games. It devastated her.
The Lead Dog
Hell hath no fury like an Icelandic woman scorned.
In 2015, Davidsdottir bounced back in the newly formed Meridian region. She credits training with Thorisdottir for the extra push — but it wasn’t just fitness that developed between herself and Thorisdottir.
- “It was the summer of 2014 when I missed qualifying and jumped into her (Thorisdottir) training to push her: that solidified our friendship,” Davidsdottir shared. “We have been best friends ever since. We have so much mutual respect and an understanding of each other – we have a shared journey, and we root for each other as much as we want it for ourselves.”
Davidsdottir won her first championship at the CrossFit Games in 2015, edging out a relative unknown at the time, Tia-Clair Toomey. That experience provided Katrin with her favorite competitive memory.
- “It was Sunday morning of the 2015 Games,” Davidsdottir said, “and it was the first time it had ever crossed my mind that I could win the CrossFit Games. It is so powerful what happens when your mind has a strong ‘why.’”
During the first event of that day, Davidsdottir kept repeating to herself that she was in a position to win. She knew there was no guarantee she would ever be in that position again, pushing her to the brink.
- “Nothing was going to stop me,” Davidsdottir said, “There was no room for any doubt to kick in. I had to be carried off of the field after that event. But one event at a time, I needed to know I was doing my best, and it was a powerful propeller for my whole career. Since then, I have always competed with that in mind, win or lose. I needed to know it was my best effort and the best I could.”
Davidsdottir returned to defend her title the following year and again found herself atop the podium. She was the second woman to achieve the feat, the first being her best friend and idol, Thorisdottir.
- While she never found herself on the top of the podium at the Games again in her career, she also never finished lower than 10th place at the Games in the six additional times she qualified.
The Finish Line and Beyond
Davidsdottir did not compete in the 2024 season due to a back injury, and the last time we saw her at the Games was in 2023 when she finished seventh, including an impressive second-place finish in the final event.
Brian Friend of Bfriendly Fitness laid out some of Davidsdottir’s career highlights on social media, and what she has accomplished in 13 years in the sport is extraordinary.
She has competed in every CrossFit Open since 2012, and during the Regionals era, she competed there for seven straight years. She won twice.
- Davidsdottir has 13 Games event wins, the fifth most of all time and the third most of all time among women.
It wasn’t just at the Games that Davidsdottir excelled. She won as an individual at Wodapalooza in 2018 and stood on top of the podium with a team in 2023. Additionally, she has competed three times at the Rogue Invitational, recording top-five finishes in five events.
Passing the Torch
What happens when a sled dog leaves her pack?
- The pack misses them – misses their strength, their leadership, their personality.
But the pack survives and is stronger for having them be part of it.
CrossFit is stronger because Katrin was a part of it.
She treasures her time competing, but the friendship with Thorisdottir may be the highlight of her journey.
- “One of the things I think is such a gift in life is that we got to share this journey together,” Davidsdottir said. “And even though this chapter is now closing for me, I have a best friend in her for the rest of my life and someone I still look up to to this very day!”
Standing on top of the podium for two consecutive years was fantastic, but winning was not everything for Davidsdottir in her CrossFit career. She held herself to a high standard.
- “I knew my best was always within my control,” Davidsdottir shared. “If I ever got discouraged by the fact I knew my competitors were better than me at something, I always brought it back to, ‘but I can always do my best’ – and I truly always demanded that from myself, both in training and competition.”
Don’t expect to see the end of Davidsdottir in the fitness space.
She has big plans, starting with Empower by Dottir, a training program she cultivated with Thorisdottir and Dr. Stacy Sims for women over 40.
- It is primarily a training program tailored to women’s needs during menopause to give them the physical stimulus they need to compensate for the physiological changes in their bodies.
Past that, Davidsdottir is excited about the simple things.
She loved competing in CrossFit, and the dedication she had for it, but that dedication meant she had to say no to a lot of things.
- “I missed many birthdays and weddings because I had to be so regimented with my sleep and nutrition. All things that allow me to now be proud, but now I am so excited to travel with my boyfriend, show up for my people, and spend more time with my family and friends.”
And what is Davidsdottir’s advice to young athletes just starting out?
- “Have fun and do your best! Enjoy it while you are in because it goes by way too fast.”
Featured image: Jonathan Ortega, @j_tega_ / Instagram
