The French athlete is preparing to take part in the Adaptive CrossFit® Games, which run from September 19 to 22.
French CrossFit® Adaptive is doing well. In August, we told you about Simon Farre, world number 1 in his category and standard-bearer for CrossFit® Adaptive in France. Today we're talking to Anne-Laure Coutenceau, who will also be one of the headliners at the Adaptive CrossFit® Games, to be held from September 19 to 22 in San Antonio, Texas.
Aged 37 and owner of CrossFit® Valkyrie in Brittany, Anne-Laure is about to take part in her fourth consecutive CrossFit® Games. She will be aiming for another podium finish, as she has finished on the podium every time she has competed.
We met Anne-Laure at the Affiliate Battle. On the sidelines of the event, she took the time to tell us a little about herself.
Getting started in CrossFit® I discovered CrossFit® with a friend who herself had found out about the discipline on the Internet. We went to Paris for the weekend to see some friends and she motivated us all to try out a session in a box. My first WOD was Karen, I didn't walk for three days, but I thought CrossFit® was really cool. Then a gym opened near my home in Saint-Nazaire and I signed up there in 2016.
I had no preconceptions about CrossFit® because I knew nothing about the discipline. At first, I simply asked about CrossFit® for people with disabilities. The only thing that came out of my research was that CrossFit® was adaptable to everyone. So I thought I'd have to discover the discipline by practicing it myself. That was in 2016.
CrossFit® Adaptive Since CrossFit® is scalable to everyone, I've included myself in it. When I arrived at the gym next door, people told me they'd find ways for me to practice. At the time, CrossFit® Adaptive was less developed and there wasn't much information out there. I'd done some research on the Internet, and found Alexis in Toulouse who'd posted a few videos, so I was able to pick up a few tips. But it was my imagination and that of the coaches that enabled us to adapt the exercises so that I could practice with everyone.
Today, there's a lot more information available because there are a lot more adaptive athletes communicating, which means we can see what's feasible. Coaches can pick up tips on Instagram, on the CrossFit Games website or on WheelWod. There's a wealth of information out there to help them welcome disabled athletes without stress.
You have to be able to go and find all the information available and adapt it to your athlete. What can you do? What doesn't hurt? You invent and as you go along, you create movements. You have to be inventive and trust yourself. The first CrossFit® competitions My taste for competition came naturally. The first competition I did was as part of a team with a girlfriend in a box. My first competition came about by chance. I did a demo on CrossFit® Adaptive for the French in 2017. I was contacted by an American who asked me if I'd take part in Wodapalooza. I had no idea what it was. He explained that it was a competition held in Miami in which there was an Adaptive category. He encouraged me to take part in the qualifiers, and I qualified, and everything just fell into place. It took me a month to prepare my trip and I was off to Miami. The CrossFit® Games I've been to the Games three times, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and each time I've been on the podium. My best memory was my first Heat Win on the last WOD of the Games in 2021.
I didn't compete when I was young. So I started very late, at over 30. The first year, it was difficult to manage the stress during the event. That's why I've been getting help from a mental coach ever since.
I didn't compete when I was young. I was over 30. Dealing with stress during the event was difficult in the first year. Since then, I've been working with a mental coach. Life as a top-level athlete I don't have any particular routine before a competition. It's a long process of physical and mental preparation, and I make sure I'm in shape for the big day. I have an OFF period during which I work on the basics and then gradually increase the intensity as the event approaches.
I'm lucky enough to be supported by four brands: Crossliftor, Wodabox, Resilience Skill and Nutripure. Today, they enable me' to finance my travels. I'm privileged because it's very complicated for Adaptive athletes.
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