Kristiina Reial dreams of breaking into sports science

Born in Rakvere, but originally from Kolga. Trains at Reval-Sport. Is pleased that this year the club on Aia Street has more space and more equipment in the gym. Height 170. Weight 66. To compete, she needs to lose at least 10-15 kilos.

Already while studying at Kolga school, Kristiina did athletics. Five years ago she moved in with her father in Pärnu and enrolled in a general upper secondary school there. She liked running 400 and 800 meters. She reached the podium at both the Harju County and the Kalev indoor athletics championships. She played volleyball, and once basketball as well. But her heart longed for a different sport. Freestyle and breaststroke swimming weren’t quite right either, even though she trained for two years with Artur Tikerpäri and also won placings in Pärnu.

“I wanted to do kickboxing, but there was no coach. So I ended up under Reet Palm and started rowing,” Kristiina says of these detours. It so happened that in 1991 the girl stayed with relatives in the USA. A second visit followed the autumn before last. With English at the ready, the idea came up of going abroad to work, for example in Ireland. Life, however, took a different course: bodybuilder Reial has indeed been abroad, but with the Estonian national team. At the fitness World Championships in Löbnitz, Germany, she placed fifth among the juniors, and took third at the Lithuanian Open Championships. Together with Irene Mik, who trains at the Pärnu Strength Sports Federation, and Kaiu Guk, an aerobics coach at the Tartu Livonia sports club, these were enjoyable, valuable trips.

At the same time, her interest in powerlifting has endured. In the three-lift powerlifting competition, she has so far posted numbers such as a 57.5 kg bench press (60 in training), a squat with a 75 kg barbell and a 105 kg deadlift. She enjoys disco, travel, the English language and surfing too. In America, Kristiina rode some serious waves with friends. Overall, she considers herself very adaptable. That is why the thought of going to study, for example at Barry University, still haunts her. Miami is such a strong draw that even a considerable expense doesn’t scare her off. To begin with, roughly half a million kroons would be needed in total. The aptitude tests could be taken here. Success would already mean stepping onto the path of dreams, because ahead lies immersion in the broad world of sports science.

Author: Aare Kreilis

Source: WHO – physical activity.

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