Nuno Costa is one of only two athletes to compete in each of the seven CrossFit Games team competitions. This year, instead of joining Invictus for a possible eighth trip to the Games, Costa chose to make his individual debut at age 37.
“I decided to go individual this year to address my weaknesses. Plus, I’ve done team for seven years and it was time for a new challenge, and a way to test myself as an athlete,” Costa said.
He said there’s more freedom competing as an individual.
“You don’t have to worry about six other people,” he said, but he admits there is more pressure, standing alone on the competition floor.
Instead of a team, Costa now shares the regional experience with his fellow individual competitors.
“They are fun,” he said about the other athletes.
“The other guys are competitive. There’s a respect there. They all get in the zone beforehand,” he said.
Costa said the first day went about as expected. He took 33rd place in Event 1, the snatch ladder, and seventh in Event 2, Regional Nate.
“Snatches are one of my worst movements,” Costa said. “I did a little better than I did in training in (Event 1) and a little worse in (Event 2).”
On Saturday, Costa won his heat in Event 3, taking fourth overall and beating the times of Games athletes Dan Bailey, Kenneth Leverich and Julian Alcaraz. He completed all 52 pull-ups unbroken after his 104 wall-ball shots. In Event 4, Costa started off slowly but overtook many of the men in his heat and took 10th overall.
The last time Costa competed as an individual was at the sectionals (which were held as first-stage qualifier for regionals) in 2010.
He won a gold medal sprinting at the 2014 Gay Games, an experience chronicled by filmmaker Torin Simpson. A recovering cocaine addict and alcoholic, Costa has been sober since 2007 and he credits CrossFit with helping him stay on that path.
His goal for the 2016 California Regional is to do the best he can, “with no regrets,” he said.
“You can’t control the standings, so the only thing I can do is give it everything I have,” he said.
Costa achieved that goal in Event 5, 3 rounds of a 400-m run, 40 GHD sit-ups, and 7, 405-lb. deadlifts.
“I did the deadlifts unbroken,” Costa said happily, “I couldn’t do that in training.”
The oldest male athlete in the regional, Costa said he’s holding up well after two days of competition, and he’s looking forward to the last two events.
“My quads are pretty shot,” he said, “and I’m sure the rest of my body will be, too.”
“One more day,” Costa said. He paused.
“The last event,” with its light thrusters and legless rope climbs, “is really good for me,” he said with a smile.
