"Mentally, I am always ready to perform. I don't let anything distract me while I am competing, and I think that is a great quality in an athlete."
"One day, I'll be going to the Games," Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson told his brother in early 2012, only a few weeks after his first workout at a CrossFit affiliate in Iceland.
"He didn't say, 'I wish I could go' or 'It's my dream to go to the Games.' He simply stated that he was going," Gudmundsson’s brother Heidar recalled. "He was so certain and I knew that he was willing to do what it takes to make it happen."
And he did. Finishing third at the Europe Regional, Gudmundsson, 21, earned the last ticket to Carson, California. He prevailed over major players Frederik Aegidius, Lukas Esslinger and Numi Katrinarson.
Gudmundsson’s background in sports includes nine years of gymnastics and 14 years of soccer. Aside from CrossFit, he enjoys snowboarding and shooting. He admitted he needs to be constantly moving.
In 2013, Gudmundsson commanded attention within the Europe Region for the first time. Only 14 months after his first experience with CrossFit, he finished ninth at the 2013 Europe Regional.
"Since then, I didn't actually change that much, but I feel that I am more experienced and even more ambitious about my training,” he said. “I have been working on my weaknesses and I have been trying hard to close gaps here and there. I feel a lot stronger than last year."
Gudmudsson trains and coaches at CrossFit Hengill in Hverageroi, east of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. Since September 2012, he has been following Jami Tikkanen's personalized training program. Tikkanen is coach to two-time CrossFit Games champion Annie Thorisdottir, as well as Games athletes Katrinarson and Lukas Högberg.
"I follow Jami's program and I mix it with a weightlifting approach by Erik Lau Kelner,” Gudmudsson said. “I do Jami's conditioning and skills program and with Erik we work on the weightlifting methodology.”
The training paid off at this year's Europe Regional where Gudmundsson was consistent across the three days, finishing in the top five in four events.
"I was looking forward to Events 1 and 2," Gudmundsson said. “Both hang snatch and handstand walks are movements that I feel strong in.”
He snatched 255 lb., and walked 265 feet on his hands, finishing fifth and fourth, respectively.
"The last event of Day 1—the Nasty Girls V2 workout—was my worst finish. I have a very stiff right ankle, turning one-legged squats into something particularly hard that I don't enjoy at all. I knew I really needed to grind this one," he said.
After Day 1, Gudmunsson was in fourth place. Day 2 did not go as planned.
He said he viewed the triplet of strict handstand push-ups, front squats and burpees as a challenge.
“I knew to be careful not to burn out (on the) handstand push-ups. I also got no-repped, losing one spot at that event,” he said.
He continued: "The legless rope-climb event turned out to be fun once I had figured out my strategy to nail those climbs. After some rounds, I began to jump and things started to roll.”
Still in fourth after Day 2, Gudmundsson knew he "needed to give it all" if he wanted to make it to California.
"Mentally, I am always ready to perform,” he said. “I don't let anything distract me while I am competing, and I think that is a great quality in an athlete. I knew that my fate would be decided on the 50s chipper at the beginning of the last day."
Gudmundsson felt the first movement—50 calories of rowing—could present a hurdle for his performance during the rest of the event. Only a few days before the regional, he learned an improved technique for rowing, which allowed him to develop a plan.
“When I came off the rower in first position, everything changed. I soon understood that I could be going to the Games,” he said. “I ended the event in third place and climbed also to the third place overall.”
He was excited for Event 7.
“Pull-ups and overhead squats are my jam,” he said. “I came out of the pull-ups first and ended taking up second place in this event. There it was: a Games ticket in my hands and the best moment of my life.”
Preparing himself for the Games, Gudmundsson said his routine hasn’t changed much.
"Only the volume is higher than before, which makes recovery even more important,” he said. “Many people take nutrition over sleep—I very much disagree. For me recovery is key and that means getting enough good sleep."
"I prefer not have any expectations for the Games. I just want to be a strong competitor and give the best of myself."
