View From The Edge | Will Sara Sigmundsdottir be crowned Fittest on Earth at the 2020 CrossFit Games, as she develops her mental toughness?
- The Icelander’s performance in Ireland is a sign that her improved self-belief is having an effect on her physical performance
There is little to separate the best crossfitters in the world. Not only are they all physical freaks, but they have the same access to equipment, nutrition, supplements and training plans. Each time they do a rep, they are pulling on the same bar as everyone else.
“So, on the day of a competition, what separates the winners from the also-rans? Those other factors being equal, it must be what goes on between the ears” writes, Jim Taylor, PhD sports physiologist, in his book Train Your Mind for Athletic Success.
And it’s for this reason CrossFit athletes around the world should be shaking in their boots at the prospect of a confident Sara Sigmundsdóttir. The Icelander has been among the fittest on earth for years, and has proved herself by winning the Open three times (2018, 2019 and 2020), but she is yet to be named The Fittest on Earth by winning the Games.
That could change. She has already qualified for the 2020 Games via the Open, and then, in November, won the first of the season’s Sanctionals in Ireland in dominant fashion. Sigmundsdóttir’s performance even surprised her, as she was using the Sanctional as a test to see where she was in her season’s progression and did not expect herself to be so far along.
What was the difference? Was it more training? Heavier weights? A new diet or a different cardio programme?
No. It was her mind. “I’ve just been trying to believe in myself a little bit more and slowly proving to myself that I can [do it],” she said.
