Iceland review - 2015, Qupperneq 36

34 ICELAND REVIEW
that I didn’t change that much. ‘You’re still normal,’ she says.”
Iceland established its image as a nation of strong men and
beautiful women when strongman Jón Páll Sigmarsson earned
the title World’s Strongest Man four times in the 1980s, and
Magnús Ver Magnússon followed in his footsteps by winning
the competition four times in the 1990s. During the same
period, Hólmfríður Karlsdóttir and Linda Pétursdóttir were
crowned Miss World, and in 2005 Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir
became the third Icelander to win the title. However, in recent
years, Icelandic women have earned international recognition
for power and endurance too, with Annie Mist Þórisdóttir being
the only woman to win the world CrossFit Games two years in
a row, in 2011 and 2012.
“Can’t we be both, beautiful and strong?” asks Katrín. “In
Iceland, girls aren’t afraid of being strong. We’re looked up to.
People see that we’re just pretty girls in good shape,” she adds,
flashing her broadest smile. The cheerful blonde takes an inter-
est in acting. “Well, I always mention it in interviews in case a
director is watching,” she laughs, revealing, “I actually had audi-
tions while in the US and might land a talking part in a movie.”
It wouldn’t be the first time weightlifting opened the door
for an Icelandic athlete into the world of acting: Hafþór Júlíus
Björnsson was cast as Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane for the
fourth season of Game of Thrones after coming second and third
in all World’s Strongest Man competitions since 2012 and win-
ning Europe’s Strongest Man twice. It hardly seems coinciden-
tal that a nation of only 330,000 people can produce so many
powerful athletes over three decades. “I’m always being asked:
what’s in your water?” says Katrín, speculating, “Maybe it’s the
Icelandic mentality.”
HOOKED ON COMPETITION
At one year Fanney’s junior, Katrín not only practices Olympic
weightlifting, but also plyometrics, gymnastics, kettlebells, cal-
isthenics, swimming and running, among other sports, which is
all part of CrossFit. “So, I’m not best at anything,” she blurts,
then qualifies, “I’m good at many things.” They both began their
sporting careers as children in gymnastics and agree that it was
good preparation. “The discipline, and being used to working
with a coach,” says Fanney. “And knowing how to respond to
pressure, knowing your body,” adds Katrín.
However, Katrín discovered that gymnastics wasn’t for her. “I
had to put too much effort into it. I was good at some things,
like the jumps and on the balance beam, but not on the floor,
or the parallel bars. I was always falling.” She tried athletics,
which didn’t suit her either, and exercising by herself at the
gym didn’t satisfy her. “In 2011, I was completely lost. That’s
when Annie Mist became world champion in CrossFit. A friend
of mine suggested: ‘You should try that. You’re kind of crazy.’”
She laughs. Katrín first tried boot camp—which is more about
practicing outside, using one’s own body weight and working
in teams—and loved it. She didn’t find the CrossFit classes she
tried challenging enough, but after she started practicing on her
own terms, she became hooked. “I’ve always been very compet-
itive. When I was a kid, everything had to be a competition. I
competed against my brother and against the other boys.”
For Fanney, a back injury ended her gymnastics career. “I
tried ballroom dancing for two years—something complete-
ly different,” she smiles. After giving that up, Fanney started
working out at the gym but found that it wasn’t competitive
enough. “One day I began imitating everything my boyfriend
was doing, just for fun, and discovered that I was really good at
bench press.” This was in 2011. Fanney’s friends enlisted her in
a tournament and she reluctantly agreed. “But after that, there
was no turning back.”
AN ATHLETE’S BUSY SCHEDULE
Today, Katrín is a full-time professional athlete, working out six
days a week, many hours a day, doing a range of different work-
outs: strength, endurance and interval training. She splits her
time between Reykjavík, where she lives with her grandparents,
and Boston, where her coach lives.
Fanney, on the other hand, is studying psychology and eco-
nomics at the University of Iceland alongside her sporting
career, working out four days a week for approximately two
hours at a time. “I just do a light warm-up—no running—and
then I practice bench press, do interval training and counter-
weight exercises.” In powerlifting, athletes either focus on bench
press only, or compete in three events: bench press, squat and
deadlift.
Fanney’s back injury limits her to the bench press, and brings
up the question of whether such intensive training puts a strain
on the body. “Injury comes with all sports. You learn how to
practice around it. My coach keeps telling me: ‘Take small steps,
be patient!’—namely to prevent getting hurt.” Katrín has also
had her fair share of injuries. “It takes a reminder before you
start taking better care of your body. In CrossFit, there’s always
something you can do, though. When I had a bad shoulder, I
just didn’t lift anything above my head. I trained the lower body
and practiced running.”
SPORT