After finishing 30th in the world, 9th in Europe, and even winning the DACH region at the CrossFit Open at the end of March, I successfully completed the Quarterfinals last week as well. The requirement was to master 4 different workouts within 5 days. In one of them, for example, you had to throw a 6 kg medicine ball as fast as possible 150 times from a squat to a height of 3.04 meters, and additionally jump over a 60 cm wooden box 150 times after a burpee. I can tell you, that’s a real joy. After 5 minutes I wanted to quit, after 10 minutes I saw stars, and after 15 minutes I was on the verge of throwing up. Well, I pushed through!

The feeling after a workout like that makes up for all the agony. It’s indescribable, but every time I end up lying on the floor afterward, gasping for air, and just plain happy. It’s a mix of pride at having made it and the certainty that it’s finally over.

In the end, all the effort paid off. I’m back among the top 20 in Europe and finished 2nd in DACH. With this result, I’ve now also qualified for the Semifinals, the last qualifying round before the World Championship in the USA. My coaches believe I’d have a good chance of securing one of the 30 tickets. But against their advice, I’ve decided not to continue. The decision wasn’t easy, but in the end the following reasons were decisive:

1. After more than 7 months of intense training (6 times a week), no alcohol, nothing sweet, and a strict nutrition plan, I’m tired and craving some variety.
2. I’m not a professional like many of my competitors, who dedicate themselves to CrossFit full-time. I have a job I love and clients who, fortunately, still want to see me.
3. My health: during a 5-day competition phase like that, I can barely sleep. After every workout, my nervous system is overtaxed and my body is over-acidified. After my last check-up, my doctors advised me to do less and stop pushing my body so hard. It’s about finding a good balance between tension and recovery.
4. Mission accomplished: why did I do all this in the first place? I wanted to be a role model for my kids and show them that hard work and discipline can get you to the top of the world. Recently, a friend asked my 7-year-old son whether he was proud of his dad. At first he said nothing, so the friend asked again, anything at all? Then he said: “Yeah, my dad is the fittest man in the world.” That moved me, and I knew right then I didn’t need to go to the World Championship too.

It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m grateful for everything I got to learn and experience along the way. Thank you so much for your interest and all the motivating words on my posts. Even though I always thought, who really cares about an old man trying to become the fittest man on Earth.