Life in the Group of Death

May 27, 2016

Mike Warkentin

A host of elite Meridian women set their sights on five precious spots at the CrossFit Games. 

Madrid, Spain—Welcome to CrossFit’s “group of death.”

Followers of football—soccer to those in North America—are no doubt familiar with the group of death, a label applied to an early stage tournament grouping in which the strong teams outnumber the qualifying spots for the next round.

The concept is very much top of mind as the women’s competition begins at the Meridian Regional.

If the Central East region has long been regarded as the hottest crucible for male athletes, the Meridian Regional—Europe combined with Africa—is a gauntlet like no other for women. Anything is possible in the wild world of CrossFit, but past performances suggest event records are likely at the Caja Mágica. History also suggests one of the Meridian women who makes it to the Games will stand on the podium when the last barbell hits the ground in Carson, California, in July.

Of the 21 regional events contested from 2013 to 2015, European women have set eight event records, with four of them coming last year at the Ballerup Super Arena just outside Copenhagen, Denmark. Of the 18 CrossFit Games podium spots since 2010, seven have gone to European women, and a European has stood on the top step four of six years.

Even with defending Games champ Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir (Iceland) competing at the East Regional this same weekend, the Meridian field is dense, with 2013 Games champ Sam Briggs (U.K.) returning to her native region after competing in the Atlantic Regional in 2015. She’ll face Games third-place finisher Sara Sigmundsdottir (Iceland), who traded gold for bronze with a 22nd-place finish in the final event in Carson last year; two-time Games champion and four-time regional winner Annie Thorisdottir (Iceland); and two-time Games athlete Kristin Holte (Norway).

Open winner Jamie Greene (New Zealand, representing United Arab Emirates) and 15th-place finisher Julie Abildgaard (Denmark) went team, but six of the top-20 overall Open finishers remain to meddle in the Meridian, with Emma McQuaid (Northern Ireland) and Anna Fragkou (Greece) rounding out the group.

Add in Thuridur Erla Helgadottir (Iceland) and her four trips to the Games (two as an individual). Stir in the likes of 2014 Games qualifier Celestie Engelbrecht (South Africa) and 2015 Games qualifier Marlene Andersson (Sweden, representing Kuwait) of the Africa region. Sprinkle with a few dark horses who are chomping at the bit just outside the spotlight—Carmen Bosmans (Belgium, representing United Arab Emirates) is one—and you’ve got all the makings of a truly memorable CrossFit competition.

Jami Tikkanen, coach to Annie Thorisdottir, expects the female Games champion to come from the Meridian Regional, though he said that athlete might not be the region’s No. 1 qualifier.

“If we look at the very top females in our region, I mean you look at Sam, you look at Sara, you look at Annie, you put those three together and I don’t think there’s another region that’s even close in terms of the strength,” he said shortly before the athletes briefing on May 26.

Tikkanen is also predicting spectacular results in each event.

“With the level of competition and how these girls can push themselves and push each other, I would expect all of the event records to go down,” he said.

Briggs is similarly confident, and she intends to do her part after Day 1 and its snatches are out of the way.

“I’m going for four,” she said with a laugh.

She added: “Day 1 is not going to be my best start, so that’s why I’m just going to go crazy on Event 3 and 4. … I don’t think it’s any secret that the snatch is not going to be a good event for me.”

Briggs is well aware of what can happen at a very competitive regional if an athlete makes a mistake or has a weakness exposed. At the 2014 Europe Regional, she won three events but took 26th on the handstand walk and missed her chance to defend her crown in Carson.

“I think a lot of the regions you’ve kind of got a few people who … know they’ve got their places. I think this is the only region where no one is safe, because if you mess up on a workout, the others aren’t (going to).”

Sigmundsdottir agrees wholeheartedly.

“All the good girls are going to be in the top 10, even top eight maybe, so if you screw up one event, I think you … have to win an event to make it up.”

Last year, Sigmundsdottir finished out of the top four only once across seven events on her way to a 38-point victory. For her part, she’s not satisfied just to survive the group of death that is the Meridian Regional. She’d prefer to own it for the second consecutive year.

“I want to win this weekend.”