The final workout of the 2013 Open caused some shake ups on the Africa Leaderboard.
The 2013 Open ends with familiar names atop the Men’s Leaderboard, compared to a host of new names leading the women. Unexpectedly, two of the most popular names on the Women’s Leaderboard do not feature in the top five.
Workout 13.5 resulted in another shake up of the Women’s Division. Nicole Seymour, an unaffiliated athlete, placed first in week five with 86 reps. Workout 13.4 winner, Janine Prinsloo, placed fourth this week with 78 reps.
Mona Pretorius and Lorinda van Loggenberg placed second and third, respectively, on 13.5. Wilna Appel rounded out the top five this week with 77 reps.
Overall, the Women’s Division is surprisingly missing last year’s leading ladies. Last year’s first and second placed Regional athletes, Rika Diedericks and Appel, respectively placed sixth and seventh overall in this year’s Open.
After winning two of the workouts and placing second in two others, Pretorius wins the 2013 Open in Africa, demonstrating why so many people have her picked to be the this year’s Regional winner.
Seymour, still relatively unknown, places second overall. Carla Nunes da Costa, who has moved to Africa from the Europe Region takes third place. Prinsloo and Mary Jamieson end the first stage of the season tied in fourth.
Aside from Pretorius, the top five women are all newcomers to the Africa region.
With 150 reps, 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games competitor, David Levey, wins week five. This is the third time during the Open that Levey has placed first.
Carl Du Plessis, a newer athlete from CrossFit ECX, came in second with 143 reps. He was followed by Frederick Engelbrecht with 140 reps.
For the second year in a row, Levey wins the Open in Africa.
Will he manage a double repeat by winning the Regionals, as well?
Despite his young age, Richard Smith seems to be veteran of the Games season in Africa. He ends this stage of the season in second place, a huge improvement on his eighth-place finish last year.
Jaco Van der Vyer placed third overall in the Open in Africa. Van der Vyver is also a newcomer to the region, and given his Olympic weightlifting background, will be one to look out for at Regionals.
With the surprise in the Women’s Division, and the tight competition between the men, the Regional competition is undoubtedly going to be gripping!
