"It's kind of surreal," Sansbury said.
Photos courtesy of Jon Bollinger.
Chris Sansbury put up 175 reps in Open Workout 14.3. Only one man in the Central East posted a better score: reigning champion Rich Froning with 177 reps.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Sansbury said. “Everything fell into place. I exceeded my expectations and I’m happy.”
Sansbury has had a taste for competition ever since his brother showed him a Fran video two years ago. After following CrossFit.com on his own for six months, what began as brotherly rivalry turned into full-fledged ambition when Sansbury joined CrossFit New Albany in October of 2012.
Throwing down alongside the sixth-fittest man in the world, Marcus Hendren, gave Sansbury something to strive for.
“You really don’t know what you’re capable of until you get after it and compete,” he said.
Though Sansbury is new to the top of the Leaderboard, he’s not new to the game. Last year, he helped team CrossFit New Albany take third place at the Central East Regional and 34th at the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games.
The California sun suited him.
“Once you get a taste of L.A. and the Games, it’s like you have a thirst,” he said. “You want to go back really bad, somehow, some way.”
Today, the 24-year-old special education teacher splits his time between teaching youngsters to read and teaching athletes to squat at CrossFit Olentangy, a sister affiliate to CrossFit New Albany. In his spare time, he’s trying to make his way back to the Games—this year as an individual.
“I feel like the magnifying glass has gotten way thicker,” he said. “There’s no hiding in (the) individual (competition). It’s all on you.”
Watching Froning’s flawless form in Carson, Calif., last July, he said is what inspired him to go solo this year. And to prepare to compete against the best, he trains with the best, often working out with Hendren and 2010 CrossFit Games champion Graham Holmberg.
“I get a big slice of humble pie when I train with them,” he said.
At Holmberg’s recently opened affiliate, CrossFit Hilliard, the trio went head-to-head on 14.3.
“I felt really jacked up being between two great athletes,” Sansbury said. “I let that energy from the competitive environment just take over.”
Having helped team New Albany earn a third-place finish in Event 5 of the regional—21-15-9 reps of heavy deadlifts and box jumps—Sansbury was confident he’d hold his own against the two Games competitors.
After completing the first two rounds of deadlifts unbroken, he split the set of 20 deadlifts at 225 lb. into two sets of 10. His springy, rebounding jumps gave him a lead, and he pulled away from Hendren and Holmberg in the fourth round of deadlifts, pulling his third rep while they added weight to their bars.
When Sansbury reached the round of 315 lb., he split his deadlifts into six sets of five reps. His legs protested two reps into his next set of box jumps, and he switched to step-ups for his final 13 reps, finishing with 175 and a tiebreak time of 7:57.
“My wind felt really good,” he said. “I was able to chip away at (the workout) and stay consistent.”
While he’s currently sitting in seventh place overall in the Central East, with two Open workouts remaining, nothing is guaranteed. In the meantime, Sansbury is celebrating how far he’s come, focusing on his goal and keeping a level head through it all.
“I’m gonna try my best to hang up there and stay in one of those top two heats for the regional,” he said. “I know that it’s extremely difficult, especially in this region, but it’s going to be really fun to see where I stack up. It’s all about the journey and it’s a challenge that I’m excited to accept.”
