CrossFit has grown dramatically in the last 10 years, seeing many athletes enter the sport, shine, start again, and start other careers. 

Other faces, rarer, remain and impress as much by their performances as their striking personality.

This is the case of Mirakim Couvrette, who will be back on the competition floor at the CrossFit Atlas Games next week at the Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard.

She entered the world of CrossFit through the BlackBox, formerly at proGym in Montreal. At the time, the famous “boom” of popularity had not yet spread to Quebec. 

We were beginning to hear about this new mode of training since some Quebecers were beginning to represent us on the international scene:

Michele Letendre, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Albert-Dominic Larouche, Roch Proteau, and Alexandra Bergeron had all obtained their passes for the CrossFit Games, and others continued to grow in power and popularity. 

Without training “too much” seriously, Mirakim participated in a few local competitions, including the famous FireBreather presented by Reebok, facing a certain Michele Letendre.

By joining the ranks of Pro1 Montreal in November 2013, she decided to go all out in her training and devote herself to team competitions.

“I was fortunate to be part of teams with really competitive partners. We had a great time together!”. Moreover, in this team, she met the one who is now her life partner, Karim El Hlimi.

The experience with Pro1 Montreal will certainly have forged his path to the individual. With 2 appearances at the CrossFit Games in 2014 and 2015 and a victory at the prestigious East Regional in 2014. 

She will return to the East Regional in 2017, after finishing 2nd across Canada at the Open, then 6th in 2018. 

After this season, a nasty poiget injury, ultimately requiring an operation, came to put his career on hold. Then, the arrival of her first child, Lee, extended this break.

“I wanted to compete again, but I didn’t know if I could get back to the level I was used to since my wrist prevented me from making a lot of movements. 

I had 2 years of training without really setting goals due to all the limitations I had: impossible to do weightlifting, handstand pushups, or handstand walk.”

But, as an old saying goes, you grow up in adversity! After becoming a mom and her wrist surgery, she is back to her best. 

Did these experiences make her a better athlete?

“Absolutely! I believe that being a mom requires the highest level of resilience. In the last 3 years, I must have had an average of hours of sleep of about 4 hours! 

You discover the power of mom, sleep becomes optional, and when it is there, it is a bonus! 

Before this, I was stressed by sleep and my “feeling” before a workout and when I swelled a little from eating. 

Now I’m doing my best, and the result will be the best according to my abilities.”

The initial plan for 2022 was to add another child to the family, but a miscarriage last summer refocused him on playing his sport.

“It was a good challenge to get back in shape after all this, but I found a taste for what made me vibrate: training hard. 

And strangely, I saw that my body was following better than I could have imagined.”

We can only imagine the crowd’s reaction when they step onto the competition floor for the first time in 4 years. And at home, moreover.