She retired at the top at just 24 years old and shocked many. But now the former cross-country skiing star has found what she desired.

Life is thriving for the 25-year-old from Vestfossen. The popular sport of Hyrox is what draws her now. It wasn’t her body that said stop for Helene Marie Fossesholm; it was her heart.

“Elite sports have been a dream for many years. But now I feel that I want a normal life,” she said, shocking most people.

Now, life is about tough medical studies and Hyrox, along with a regular life free from the pressure of national teams or media.

“Now I live a very normal life,” Helene Marie Fossesholm tells Drammens Tidende.

Also Read: Fossesholm takes on new role

Bitten by the bug

In an interview with the local newspaper, Fossesholm shares that she has become completely hooked on Hyrox. She recently participated in the World Championships and set a personal record, improving her time by four minutes in the singles category. A time of 1:02:26 is impressive in this discipline.

“It was so much fun, and not least painful,” she tells DT.

The desire to combine strength and running is still there.

“I have never liked just standing and pumping iron during training. Now I get both strength and endurance. It’s exhausting, and I find that enjoyable. I prefer to be in the red zone,” she laughs.

Helene Marie Fossesholm has always been very active in sports. In addition to her World Championship gold and national team spot in cross-country skiing, she has been one of Norway’s top mountain bikers for many years.

Challenging studies

The 25-year-old from Vestfossen enjoys challenges. A boring life without action is not for her. However, she must sometimes slow down, as her big goal cannot be achieved in a left turn.

Helene Marie Fossesholm is currently deep into demanding medical studies, which she is pursuing full-time.

“I have a strong competitive instinct. I just can’t help it, but now my life is like everyone else’s. Now I train based on what I feel like at the moment. It might be a run, a bike session, or roller skiing. This is what I wanted,” she explains.

Most of her training revolves around Hyrox, where the intensity is often very high.

More tempting than running

She admits to DT that Hyrox is more appealing than running, which has also gained popularity in recent years. Her first competition was just before Christmas, which left her wanting more.

“I discovered something I hadn’t done before: you can go on a weekend trip to a big city with friends to compete, do some sightseeing, and enjoy a night out. It was a new world for me.”

The competitive instinct is still there, as she noticed during the World Championships she just participated in.

“At the World Championships, I received an additional 15 seconds. It’s very common for people to get that, but I was so irritated with myself,” she laughs.

Her next competition will be in Oslo in September.

“I do want to improve and set personal records, so it’s not like I’m not training for that. But it’s not my whole life to get better. It’s more of a bonus,” she says.

What matters most are her medical studies. Her time as one of the world’s best cross-country skiers now belongs to the history books.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.