HYNNE Hedda

General
LATE STARTER
She initially ran 400m before taking up the 800m in her early 20s, and says she regrets not starting the distance sooner. "For a lot of my career, I used to say to my coach that I wish I started earlier, that if I did, maybe I could have done something really special. In the 800m, the reality is most athletes run their best times in their early 20s. But for me, the trajectory was always going to be different. I only took up the sport then. I'm 30 now [2020], and there can be a certain stigma in athletics when you reach that age. Some people think you're done. But the good thing about starting late is my training age is still really young. I haven't pushed my body too much or tired out my mentality. I'm hungry, my body is robust, and I'm ready for a lot more years in this sport. Which is good, because it takes a long, long time to reach your peak." (worldathletics.org, 05 Nov 2020)

COACH AND MENTAL STRENGTH
Since 2012 she has trained under Erik Sakshaug. The pair began dating two years later. "Erik is not just my coach, but also my boyfriend, and we share the same goals. Both of us are so into it that we could talk and breathe and sleep track all day, and rather than worry about any overlap between our coach-athlete and boyfriend-girlfriend relationships, we focus on the positives." She has also worked with a sports psychologist. "He [the psychologist] is the person on my team I've worked with the longest, and he makes me grow, not only as an athlete but also as a person. It's mind-blowing how much you can expand. Running is so simple but you can raise your level so much if you can use your mental skills. It's often the difference in winning medals at the championships." (worldathletics.org, 05 Nov 2020)

FURTHER STUDIES
After completing a degree in pedagogy at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, she also earned a degree in economics from the same university. (LinkedIn, 01 Jan 2019)