Why 2025 Was Olivia Kerstetter’s Breakout Year
Earlier this month, Olivia Kerstetter was crowned the third Fittest Woman in the World at the 2025 CrossFit Games. It still hasn’t fully sunk in for the youngster.
- “It just doesn’t feel real – even now. I just don’t understand how all my finishes added up to third place. I just cannot wrap my head around it,” she told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
But the math checks out.
The 19-year-old — who failed to qualify for the CrossFit Games last year after her rookie debut in 2023, where she finished 16th — returned to the Games fit and focused, and it paid off.
Remind Me
Most young athletes would find it hard to deal with a setback in qualifying for the Games after doing well the previous year. Some might believe their qualification was simply a fluke.
Not Kerstetter.
- “It was the opposite,” she laughed. “When I first qualified, I didn’t think it was a fluke; I knew I was good enough to make it.”
It was the following season when things got tough. Kerstetter entered the 2024 season thinking she would automatically qualify since she had already been to the Games. It was a harsh lesson that countless young athletes have to learn.
“I overjudged it and I was obviously wrong,” she said. Recovering from that overconfidence was tough, but it helped her harness her power heading into 2025.
- “This year, thinking about last season, I had the nerves again, knowing that anything could happen and nothing was guaranteed,” Kerstetter said.
The mindset shift, combined with her training change, prepared Kerstetter in the best way possible for Albany.
Kerstetter had been training with Tim Paulson from PRVN for a while before the Games, and she took part in a PRVN camp just before heading to Albany. She was confident, prepared, and trusted the process, especially with Paulson leading the way.
- “I totally trust him, because he was an athlete, and he did it himself, so he knows what’s best. And he knows me as an athlete, we’ve been working together for long enough now that he knows what I am capable of,” she said.
She wasn’t even phased when she got a 28th place in the first event of the weekend, “IE01: Run/Row/Run.”
- “I was upset for around ten minutes,” Kerstetter said. “But after talking to Tim and looking at my Garmin, I realized that my run time was a minute per mile faster than I was supposed to run, and I rowed faster as well.”
Knowing that her hard work – running often throughout the off-season – hadn’t paid off as much as she hoped, Kerstetter quickly focused on moving forward and simply accepted that the ladies she was racing against were “just fast, freaky fast.”
Kerstetter put it behind her quickly, knowing that that would be her worst finish of the competition. After the weekend, she addressed it with the maturity of a seasoned competitor.
- “It’s easy to say now that I got third and I’m happy with my performance, but everything that I was bad at is exciting for me now. I realize that I can get so much better. I’m still happy with my performance, but there’s still so much to improve on.”
Growing Up on The Big Stage
The influx of a young generation of competitors was especially noticeable at the Games this season, and Kerstter continues to lead the charge.
After competing at the CrossFit Games for years in the teen division and now twice as an individual, she has grown up right in front of us.
- “I feel like I can compete with these girls now, and I’m not a little kid scared to be in this big division and competing against the best in the world. I am not scared anymore. I feel like now I can hang with them, and I am glad that that shows,” she said.
Even though she doesn’t feel like a kid anymore, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t enjoy the attention from some athletes, especially from Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr.
Kerstetter spent time training with Toomey-Orr and the PRVN crew leading up to Albany, and she even got to know her well during the 2023 season.
- When Toomey-Orr was out for the year after the birth of her daughter, Willow, Shane Orr coached Kerstetter through her rookie debut.
After the final event, Toomey-Orr made a beeline for Kerstetter to hug and congratulate her.
Kerstetter reflected on the moment with the eight-time champ:
- “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her like that. She was so proud of me. I even told her, Tia, I think you’re happier for me than you are for yourself. She laughed and said, I definitely am, I’m old news, you did amazing!”
Kerstetter felt like she was in a dream, with the G.O.A.T. proud of her.
And what about proud mentor, Jacob Heppner? He was unable to make it to the venue, busy with his twin daughters, but he made sure to post a video of Kerstetter on Instagram, overhead lunging as a child in the grass.
- “He was crying and screaming so much that his voice was gone when I talked to him on the phone. He was so proud. He wants a shirt signed by me so he can hang it on his wall,” she shared.
Next Up
After this incredible year, it’s time to regroup and focus on what’s ahead. After spending her freshman year at the University of Arkansas, Kerstetter is transferring to the University of Kansas to be closer to home.
The school provides more online choices for the busy athlete, helping her save the hours she used to spend traveling to see her family.
And of course, she’ll be closer to her training partner, CrossFit Games athlete Chris Ibarra, who finished in 13th place this year. The two plan to continue their partnership; meanwhile, Kerstetter is preparing for WFP and thinking about her goals for the 2026 season.
Is Kerstetter ready to publicly declare that her goal is to be the Fittest on Earth?
- “Well, my goal is always to get better every year…,” she said.
She trailed off and then added, “Let’s just say, I’m ok if Tia wants to retire now.”
Featured Image: Scott Freymond
