Plant-Based Athlete Crowned ‘Fittest Woman In The Netherlands’

Plant-based athlete Nienke van Overveld has been crowned the ‘fittest woman in the Netherlands’.

Overveld, who regularly promotes an animal-product free diet on Instagram, is now set to compete at the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games following her performance at the 2020 Open. 

Since 2017, the athlete has jumped up more than 500 places and currently ranks as the 210th fittest woman in the world. 

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PR-ed my front squat last week at 112 kg ?! (with the re-racking being the hardest part ?) . PRs become more and more rare when your are in the game for a longer period of time. My coach @yoeripegel rarely allows me to MAX out, only when it is in the context of training (which is almost never). However, sometimes I do get temped, driven by ego, to test where I am at ?. And then it satisfies me to know, we still grow, even though it is little by little… . PS: It’s @dancolpo17 birthday today ?! Thanks for being my mate since the day we met. Onto many more high-fives ??!

A post shared by Nienke van Overveld (@nienkevanoverveld) on Jan 17, 2020 at 6:56am PST

‘Never dared to dream’

Reflecting on her progress from the last couple of years, the star explained she first started CF in 2015, but failed to qualify for the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown and described herself as being ‘trash’. 

However, by 2019 Overveld was on a team that had earned their way to the Cross Fit Games. Speaking about the moment, she said: “Tears of happiness, disbelieve and comradery, we (including me) did it. [I] Never dared to dream of the Games, that was way out of my league… 

‘Dedication’

“The thing that has been consistent for the past four years is dedication, something I can’t live without.,” she added. “If I wouldn’t have found CF, I would have spend 100 percent of my energy into something else, whatever it may have been. 

“And I hope you all find that one thing that wants you to wake up in the morning, and live the day with a smile.”

You can follow Nienke van Overveld on Instagram here