"We're not competitive with each other. It has always been us against the world, rather than us against each other."
“It’s a lot of pressure being Elisabeth’s sister,” Busola Akinwale says.
Yet she’s not only meeting the high standard set for “an Akinwale” in CrossFit, she’s surpassing it. Busola beat her younger sister Elisabeth on 12.2—by one snatch. As the clock hit the 10th minute, Elisabeth completed one snatch at 120 pounds, while Busola knocked out two.
Like her sister, Busola has an athletic background that has prepared her to excel in CrossFit. Both Busola and Elisabeth started off as gymnasts. Once she reached college, however, Busola left the gym for the track and rugby pitch. While studying at Carleton College in the cornfields of Northfield, Minn., Busola earned more than just good grades. She left a 3-time All American long jumper and a lifetime member of the Carleton College Women’s Rugby team. This CrossFit badass also rides a motorcycle and can knit you a scarf to keep you warm during those cold Midwest winters.
Less than a year ago, the Twin Cities native found her place at CrossFit St. Paul.
At 5 feet 8 inches and 175 pounds, “I’m the biggest ex-gymnast you’ve ever seen,” Busola jokes.
She’s two years older, one inch taller, and 15 pounds heavier than Elisabeth. Her power is evident in her maxes and workouts that involve Olympic lifts. Busola has a 1:38 “Grace,” 188-pound clean and jerk, 160-pound snatch, 365-pound deadlift, and 335-pound back squat.
She has grown to love workouts that are short and fast with lots of explosive power. It’s no surprise that Open Workout 12.2 was her favorite.
To be competitive in CrossFit, Busola will need to work on bodyweight movements. Seven minutes of burpees delivered a hard blow to her standings. Busola managed 77 reps for 952nd place in North Central.
“I did so badly with the burpees,” Busola says with a laugh. “Competing individually was my goal, but I don’t know if that’s possible with the burpee performance.”
Now after 12.3, Busola is in 369th place in North Central (12.1 – 77 burpees for 952nd place, 12.2 – 92 snatches for 12th place, 12.3 – 284 reps for 239th place). A top 60 finish is out of reach in 2012, but given Elisabeth’s rapid climb to the top of CrossFit competition, one should watch for Busola in 2013.
Busola has two 2011 CrossFit Games competitors on her side: Elisabeth Akinwale and CrossFit St. Paul training partner Deb Cordner Carson.
There’s no sibling rivalry in the Akinwale family. “We’re not competitive with each other. It has always been us against the world, rather than us against each other,” Busola says.
In fact, these sisters even talk strategy. “We definitely help each other out. My little sister’s the expert, so I call her for tips and suggestions.”
As Elisabeth trains down in Chicago, Twin Cities-competitors Busola and Carson train together at CrossFit St. Paul. “Our gym is hard. My expectations get skewed because my sister is Elisabeth,” Busola says. “At the same time, training next to those people and talking to my sister about workouts is really helpful to expose my weaknesses.”
Although her performance on 12.1 may have knocked her out of contention for the North Central individual competition, expect to see Busola giving it hell for the next two workouts. With her team in 15th place in North Central, we may see more of Busola this spring.
