Thu Apr 18, 10:30 Athletics
VEENENDAAL After seasons with injuries, 2023 was finally a year for athlete Fenna Achterberg without major setbacks. “I am especially happy to be able to exercise pain-free again. Especially because I have not been able to train without pain for a number of years and have had to miss competitions. The feeling of coming back little by little is very nice,” says the 19-year-old athlete.
door Roberto Cancian
Now that the outdoor season has started, she especially wants to take on the challenge of the all-around. Last year she attended the Dutch Athletics Championships in Breda. The goal was to stay there and see what was possible. Now she wants to raise the bar for herself. “I try to go into the outdoors with as few expectations as possible and don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. However, I am going to make this the season in which I am not only pain-free. It should also be the season where I can again deliver performances that are a lot better than last season,” says Fenna Achterberg, who lives in Heerenveen. “Last season I was very happy to do all the matches and training like I did before. Next season the focus will be more on performance,” she is already looking ahead.
TRAINING CAMP
She is currently laying the foundation at the training camp in Portugal. “I am in Portugal with my training group, RTC Noord Atletiek, to put the finishing touches to the outdoor season. Currently I focus purely on the all-around. For now I find this the most enjoyable thing to do. I get the pleasure from the variety of that discipline.”
She is satisfied with the past indoor season. “In general, yes, but it didn’t go quite as hoped. Shortly before the National Championships all-around and National Championships for seniors, I became ill. Despite this, I have been able to show that I can perform stably again. I hope to extend that line to outdoors. For me, indoor was mainly about competing again. Outdoors I want to show what I am really worth.”
LOTS OF INJURIES
As mentioned, Fenna Achterberg suffered a lot of injuries. She now hopes to have finally dealt with that. “I had to deal with various injuries for three years, but last season I was finally able to participate in all-around events again.”
She started with athletics at VAV in Veenendaal. She then trained with Ciko’66 in Arnhem and now, still under the flag of Ciko’66, she has found refuge in Heerenveen with trainer Sybout Bijma. “I train in Friesland for five days and when I spend the weekend with my mother, I train in Veenendaal on Saturdays.”
The athlete wants to make progress and has never given up her confidence to reach the top. “Of course it is difficult and not fun when you have to recuperate and watch, but when you have a goal in mind, giving up does not occur to you.”
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“I am convinced that I will still be at the start of major tournaments in the near future.” – Collection Fenna Achterberg
OLYMPICS
She does not throw her desire to go to the Olympic Games one day overboard. “Like every athlete, I want to go to the Olympic Games in the future. Since my injuries, I have learned to focus more on short-term goals instead of the picture for the distant future.”
It is to her credit that she has a positive outlook on life. “When I was fifteen, my ankle broke in half after I fell on a hurdle during the warm-up. The growth plate was completely broken. The doctor said at the time that there was a chance that I might not be able to run at all.”
Fortunately, things turned out differently for the talented heptathlete. However, two years ago she had to deal with a stress bill, after which she was in a plaster cast for sixteen weeks. “It took a long time for the piece of bone to grow back. Mentally a difficult period because others can continue and you have to watch again. You may have days when you are sad, but that shouldn’t last too long. I can be hard on myself about that.”
GOOD FLOW
Achterberg indicates that he is in a good flow. “I have never lost confidence and I have always given 100 percent to become my old self. Injuries are frustrating, I never thought about quitting.”
The all-around is a discipline that demands a lot from you as an athlete, both physically and mentally. Fenna Achterberg knows this better than anyone. “I was sometimes asked why I kept torturing myself, but this is what I want to do,” says the Applied Psychology student. She lives for the sport and is willing to give it her all. “I am convinced that I will still be at the start of major tournaments in the near future.”
2024-04-18 14:35:31
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