A fresh look at Emilie Dahmen

With her seventh-place finish at the World Championships, her status as a Nike athlete and her role as the first Dutch woman ever to reach the Elite 15, Emilie Dahmen remains one of the most talked-about names in Hyrox. Recently, Dahmen appeared on another podcast, this time the Atalanta Podcast, where she looks back in depth on her season, her qualification battle and her plans for the future.

For anyone who listens to the conversation, much of it will sound familiar. Dahmen talks about her difficult road to World Championship qualification, her seventh place in Stockholm, her work with coaches and the steps she still wants to take toward the very top of the world rankings.

Yet this is not the first time this year that Dahmen has sat down in front of a microphone.

Burpeetalk showed the person behind the athlete

Earlier, Dahmen was a guest on Burpeetalk, an episode that many Hyrox fans now regard as one of the most candid conversations she has given to date.

Where the Atalanta Podcast focuses primarily on performances, races and training methods, Burpeetalk chose a different angle: the person behind the athlete.

Rather than jumping straight into rankings and results, listeners were first reminded of the remarkable story behind Dahmen's rise. From volunteer at a Hyrox event, to a free race entry, to victory in Barcelona and ultimately a place among the best fifteen women in the world.

It was a story many Hyrox fans already knew, but one that had rarely been told so completely.

More than just an elite athlete

What set the Burpeetalk episode apart above all was the space Dahmen was given to speak honestly about the less visible side of elite sport.

She spoke openly about:

• training sessions that brought her to tears;
• periods of overtraining;
• balancing her studies with elite sport;
• the pressure that built after her breakthrough came so quickly;
• the feeling that she sometimes barely had time to enjoy her successes.

One striking comment was that her career had perhaps moved upward "too fast." Within a year she went from a relatively unknown competitor to an international Elite 15 athlete with a professional support team and a Nike contract.

That is a side of her story that often goes underexposed in sports interviews.

Why the episode worked

The strength of Burpeetalk lay mainly in the follow-up questions.

When Dahmen said she had almost achieved everything she had ever dreamed of, the conversation did not settle for a neat quote. The interviewer pushed further, asking what that does to a young athlete mentally.

When she talked about her wall balls, the discussion was not only about technique, but also about self-confidence.

When she spoke about her training sessions, the focus was not only on schedules, but also on the risk of overtraining and the sacrifices required to reach the top of the world.

The result was a more complete picture of Dahmen than her results list alone could provide.

Two podcasts, two perspectives

That makes both podcasts interesting, for different reasons.

The Atalanta Podcast is most valuable for listeners who want to know more about the current Elite 15 circuit, race tactics and Dahmen's plans for the new season.

Burpeetalk focuses on the personal story behind those achievements. Not just the races, but also the doubts, the disappointments and the development of a young athlete who suddenly found herself in the international spotlight.

For fans who want to understand why Emilie Dahmen has become so popular within the Hyrox community in such a short time, that conversation may well be the most compelling episode of the two.

Because in the end, it is not only her fast times that make an impression. It is above all the way she shares her emotions, successes and setbacks that makes so many people feel seen in her story.