Crossfit athlete inspires Benoni
Even though Gresse may look small, her strength is beyond expectations.
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Benoni resident Julanka Gresse (30), an accounting clerk at a local firm, has been chasing all her sporting dreams.
Gresse recently entered the Crossfit Open 2020, which started on October 10 and ran for five weeks.
The top 20 male and females worldwide finishers in the Crossfit Open will earn spots to the 2020 Crossfit Games.
The Crossfit Games 2020 dates have not been announced yet.
Each week they released a new workout which they had to try and attempt to the best of their abilities.
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This is her fourth month of doing Crossfit and she accomplished more than she thought possible.
“On November 23, Crossfit Jozi East held a Test Your Strength competition, where we had to do three movements as heavy as possible in a certain amount of time.
“I entered the competition with two of my fellow Crossfit athletes.
“We had so much fun and had the most amazing support.
“To my surprise, I won the ladies’ division,” said Gresse.
During this comp she did squating with 95kg weights, deadlifts with 140kg and strict press of 40kg.
Gresse has always been a very sporty person, she has done gymnastics, athletics, ballroom and Latin dancing, gym and Crossfit.
While competing in the gymnastics field for 12 years, she was also a coach for four years.
She started doing Crossfit at the Urban Shack in Benoni in August this year and loves every minute of it.
“I love every minute of every training session.
“The coaches are so inspiring and extremely friendly.
“You push yourself to your limits and the coaches push you to the best you can be,” said Gresse.
She enjoys doing anything sporty, and challenges are where she thrives.
“I love to challenge myself by entering races like the Toyota Warrior Race and Spartan Race,” she said.
The best thing about challenging yourself is no matter what the outcome is, you will always carry special memories and moments with you forever. We asked Gresse what her most memorable moment was.
“I would say all my achievements that I have mentioned were the most memorable.
“I am extremely proud of myself and so grateful to have the courage, positivity and strength every day that God gives me to pursue my dreams and to be the best person that I can be,” she said.