At 20, Pauline Eslà has already tried almost every sport. A knee injury forced her to rebuild everything. Today, she runs, and she has decided to believe in what she’s capable of.
A childhood of trying everything
From the very start, Pauline dreams of one thing: running fast. Yet she first turns to other disciplines: dance, French boxing, gymnastics and equestrian. Sport takes up so much space in her life that she makes it her job. She holds two BPJEPS, the state diplomas that make it possible to supervise sport: one in fitness activities, the other in equestrian.
The injury that changes everything
During her training, she injures her knee. Looking back, she thinks she knows why: she was running “without a plan, without an objective and without a method”. Rather than stop, she discovers weightlifting — the sport in which you lift a barbell loaded above your head. There’s no pain. She trains twice a day and progresses very quickly.
These improvements spark a breakthrough. Pauline no longer wants to train at random: she wants to move forward for real, reach a level, and make the most of her ease in learning.
Back to running
With her training finished, she gets back to cardio. She understands that it’s what lets her clear her head by going right to the limits of what she can do: “sweating, breathing hard, pushing past my limits without thinking.” That’s what drives her today.
Cry one day, succeed the next
For a long time, Pauline has felt too old to improve. At 20, she has changed her mind: she still has all the determination and all the time she needs to become the best version of herself. Her path has nothing like a straight line. “Sometimes, I cry because it’s not working. Then, the next day, I succeed,” she says. For her, it’s one of the most enjoyable sensations in her life.
Next challenge: Hyrox
Pauline is now targeting Hyrox, a race that alternates 8 km of running and 8 stations of effort, such as pushing a sled or throwing a weighted ball against a wall. She will take the start of her first Hyrox on 26 September in Rome, with her elder sister, then at a solo Hyrox, in the “pro” category, in December in London.
Believe. Run. Start again.
Follow Pauline
Pauline shares her training routine day by day on Instagram, @pauline.esla, and brings together her coaching and her other channels on her Linktree: linktr.ee/PaulineEslampour_Coaching.
