After eight years of competing as an individual at the CrossFit Games, Norwegian athlete Kristin Holte announced that she would retire from competitive CrossFit in 2021 after finishing fourth.
- In the documentary Fittest on Earth: Next Gen, Holte holds her emotions in check until the end of the 2021 CrossFit Games weekend. Later, as she reflects on her career and the memories made, her decision to hang it up is not without sadness over the end of an era.
Since she retired, Holte has gone on to have a child and has solidified her role as a coach and mentor with Kriger Training.
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Still, fans missed seeing her create those unforgettable moments, like when she won the “Sprint” event at the 2019 Games that sent so many of her competitors home. Or when she faced off against Annie Thorisdottir at the 2021 Games during “Event 14,” a quick and brutal couplet of deadlifts and free-standing handstand pushups.
In her career as an individual athlete, Holte finished in the top 10 five times out of her eight appearances.
- Her highest finish came in 2019 when she took second. Her retirement was a bittersweet one and, for many fans, felt to be a bit too soon.
But…she’s back.
Kristin Holte Returns
Last month, Holte returned to competition by way of the Oslo Throwdown in the Elite Team Mixed Division alongside long-time training partner, business partner, coach, and friend, Joakim Rygh.
- “It was so much fun to be back on the competition floor and to do it with Joakim made it extra special,” Holte told Morning Chalk Up.
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The two had been planning on competing at the Oslo Throwdown for quite some time and began training together in January.
- “We gave it our best in every single workout, and I am so proud of us for doing this together. I have to admit, it felt really good to be a part of the Athlete group again after several years away,” Holte says.
The Kriger Training Mentality
In the midst of training and competition, Holte still remains committed to Kriger Training and her athletes. She admits that this takes some juggling and that her athletes are the priority over her own performance.
- “I spend a little more time at the gym now and training more with the athletes, which gives me a better opportunity to coach and mentor during the sessions,” Holte says. “Their progress is what is most important to me. I am just trying to follow along and get some good training alongside them.”
With a stacked roster of athletes competing under the Kriger name — Matilde Garnes, Lena Richter and Seher Kaya just to name a few — Holte says that it means a great deal to see her athletes shine both on and off the competition floor.
- “They truly embody the Kriger mindset,” she says. “I feel like the key to our success is that we have been able to create such a great environment at CrossFit Oslo and with Kriger where we build each other up and help and support each other (even though we are competitors) on a daily basis.”
It’s because of this, Holte points out, that they are able to “elevate the performance to a new level for the whole group.”
Striking a Work/Life Balance
Since retiring in 2021, Holte also became a mother to a baby boy named Theo. Though playing multiple roles every day is a challenge, she has found a way to make it all work.
- “The first year was very challenging trying to balance being home with my boy, working full time, and training,” Holte says. “But since August, he has kindergarten on weekdays, so that makes it a lot easier to get in both work and some training during the day. I have to be very efficient to get everything done during these hours because when he gets home, it is 100% focus on him.”
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Next Stop: The 2024 Dubai Fitness Championship
For now, Holte is deep in training mode for the upcoming Dubai Fitness Championship (DFC), which takes place the first weekend in December.
Holte finished 13th in the online qualifiers, a result that began just as data-gathering.
- “Joakim [Rygh] really wanted me to do the Dubai qualifier just to see how I would stack up and to give some feedback to our Kriger athletes who tried to qualify,” she said. “I did them and ended up qualifying for the Dubai Fitness Championship.
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When asked about her expectations for the competition, Holte says:
- “I expect to show up and perform to my absolute best ability in every single event. I have no idea what that will result in, but no matter what, I will be proud of myself for jumping into this challenge after three years away.”
And after that, we will just have to wait and see.
- “At this point, my plans for training and competing are solely for the next five weeks [for] Dubai,” she said. “What happens after that, I am not sure yet.”
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Featured image: Credit: Roger Gillros
