Doubt, pressure and self-confidence: what elite athletes are really thinking in the week before the CrossFit Games

Behind the strong exterior lies the same uncertainty

From the outside, CrossFit athletes often look unbreakable. They lift weights that are out of reach for most athletes, run miles at a high pace and move effortlessly through the toughest workouts. But a candid conversation between several Games athletes reveals that the mental battle in the week before the CrossFit Games is just as important as the physical preparation.

While the world watches for performances, podium finishes and scores, it is doubt, tension and self-confidence that dominate the final days before a championship.

Even experienced athletes have doubts

A striking theme throughout the conversation was how normal uncertainty actually is. Several athletes spoke about injuries, a recent bout of stomach flu, fatigue and the fear of not being quite at their best on the start line.

Rookie Ella Wilkinson admitted that, even as a former gymnast, she struggles with the new ring back rolls likely to appear at the Games, not because of the technique, but because of the mental barrier.

That resonates with many athletes. Sometimes the biggest challenge lies not in physical capacity, but in trusting that your body can still do what it needs to do.

Why self-confidence doesn't come from winning

One of the sharpest insights came from Amy Cringle, who reflected on her first qualification for the CrossFit Games. She described how for years there had always been something that went wrong in competition, a weak discipline, a failed lift or an event that derailed her chances.

It was only when she experienced a weekend where everything came together that her self-image as an athlete began to change.

That sense of confidence, it turns out, does not come from winning competitions, but from knowing that your weaknesses have gotten smaller. That you are no longer afraid of a specific discipline. That you can trust the work you have put in over months or years.

The trap of overthinking

Several athletes described a phenomenon that many dedicated competitors will recognise: "training brain."

In training, athletes analyse, compare and second-guess constantly. Why did that workout feel hard? Why didn't that lift go? Could I have performed better?

But once competition begins, something changes.

According to multiple athletes, that constant analysing disappears on the competition floor. A mindset takes over where only execution matters, no endless scenarios, no perfectionism, just responding to what is in front of you.

That is precisely why many elite athletes are not fans of large competition simulations close to a major event. When such a simulation goes poorly, it can trigger unnecessary doubt, doubt that is hard to shake in the days before a championship.

Fatigue is part of the deal

Another interesting topic was the fear of not arriving at the start line fully recovered.

With twenty scored events spread across multiple days, the athletes acknowledge that no one will feel fresh by Sunday. Yet there seems to be a kind of comfort in that very fact.

• Everyone is tired.
• Everyone has niggles.
• Everyone has doubts.

That realisation takes away the pressure to be perfect.

One of the athletes put it well: if someone claims to feel completely fresh on the final competition day, something is probably off.

Performing in spite of fear

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the conversation is that self-confidence does not mean being afraid of nothing.

Self-confidence is built when you are willing to do something while you are afraid.

That applies to a new gymnastic skill, a tough competition or an unexpected event at the CrossFit Games. The greatest growth often comes at the moments when athletes feel most vulnerable.

That is what makes the mental side of elite sport so fascinating. Behind every athlete who walks confidently into the arena is a person who also doubts, worries and sometimes lies awake thinking about the competition ahead.

Conclusion

In a sport so often defined by physical performance, the build-up to the CrossFit Games shows that mental strength is just as decisive. Injuries, uncertainty, tension and expectations never fully disappear, not even at the highest level.

The difference lies not in who feels no fear, but in who, despite that fear, keeps trusting the work already done. That is exactly where a true elite athlete's confidence is built.