It is a pleasure to have with us on the pages of CrossMag the nice Evelin Meler, Junior athlete winner of the last Italian Showdown 2019! We asked her a lot of questions about the excellent result obtained and her future projects. Here is the whole interview for you.
We congratulate you immediately for the race, you got a result that leaves no room for discussion. Very good!
Thank you guys at CrossMag for sharing this fantastic experience with you.
Can you tell us a little about your story in short? We wanted to understand how you approached CrossFit and how the escalation that made you one of the most competitive young women in Italy came about.
I started CrossFit at the age of 17/18, when I had been simply gymnastics for two years. I did kettlebell training and functional giving me an excellent basis for what was then the future. At the time, the closest box to my house was 40 minutes away, it was CrossFit Treviso, so twice a week I was in the fifth grade, I took and went to Treviso to train. I liked it too much. Then they opened some boxes near my house, so I changed and from there came the proposal from my coach Claudio Persico, whom I thank so much, the proposal to train. So I started training alone and no longer in classes. That's where I had the biggest improvements. I did several races: I did the Fall Series 2016 and I had finished 17th out of 19, but I said to myself "cabbage, I'm young, let's continue", then I did the Rome and then the Italian, then again Rome, races that then took me to where I am now "·
Can you tell us in detail how Italian went?
“Well, the race went very very well. I had a result that I never expected because already in the qualifying phase we were 34 and only 10 passed. I was already there before and I thought that I would not be able to keep that first place. Instead it was so, so I'm really happy ”.
Did you have any critical points in some points?
“In Workout 3, in which they finished third. It was three separate workouts from the SkiErg. I did my Overhead Squats and I didn't move the barbell forward, losing time. I arrived at the SkiErg and there I lost my head because I couldn't take it anymore, I felt so much fatigue, perhaps knocked down by the initial mistake. I managed to close it, but two seconds from the first two places ”.
Which WOD did you like the most?
"I have two favorite Workouts, the fourth and the final, because it took me more emotionally. The fourth was made of 10 round, very dynamic. In the final I was second in the standings and would have determined everything, a workout I had never tried with many rope climb, running (in which I'm not very good) and deadlift (bad, I have the ceiling at 117, I'm almost ashamed to say it). After the second lap I saw the advantage and I told myself to resist as much as possible. When I got off theAir Runner I had the last breaks to do with an absurd cheering. As soon as I closed I cried. A dream was coming true ”.
Tell us a little about how the return to CrossFit Foundry went and if you can tell us something about your reference box.
“The return was very emotional, I arrived and there were also all my students who in the end are also CrossFit trainers who showered me with compliments and kisses, it was super excited. I have been collaborating with this box since September and I thank them because for me this is also a job so on Level 1, CrossFit Kids, CrossFit Gymnastic, even though I'm young they gave me this opportunity and I was very happy ".
What is your weekly training routine?
“I do five workouts a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while on Wednesday I do an active rest and on Sunday an absolute rest. I recently started doing two daily workouts, which is a standard let's say "as an adult". Even if I have a training session, I have to divide it in two because I also work in another gym that takes me many hours where I do other activities both as a personal trainer and in musical activities. I like training a lot and I live it really well ”.
Do you also do a lot of work on nutrition?
“I don't do a lot of work, I have to be honest, but I try to eat well. In the morning I eat egg whites plus a whole egg, milk and coffee with cereals (which are NesquikI don't mind peanut butter. Then at lunch I eat 120 grams of whole wheat pasta or basmati rice with meat and tuna, I make post-workout protein shakers with a fruit and for dinner, I eat what is there. If I eat pizza for two nights I don't have problems. With all the effort I do, I also think I deserve it ”.
Can you tell us about your future projects?
“My goal is to get to the Frech Throwndown keeping the Top 10 will be difficult because there are athletes from all over the world I hope to continue on this path. Then I'll have to think about 2020 and I'm studying sports science. I study with Pegaso with online courses and I would like to graduate ”.
The CrossFit has a very strong mental component. What kind of character do you have and how do you deal with the most difficult moments in the race?
"I am very strong, determined and competitive. In fact, often in the race, even if they tell me I shouldn't, I look where my opponents are and based on them I manage the workout. In a moment of difficulty, in a very natural way, I try to push as much as possible ”.