18.1 Recap: The Engine From England

Open Workout 18.1 is a triplet of 8 toes-to-bars, 10 dumbbell hang clean and jerks (50/35 lb.) and a row for calories (14/12): as many reps as possible in 20 minutes. The dumbbell may be more familiar to CrossFit athletes after its Open debut last year, but the movement is brand-new and may require some getting used to.

Six-time CrossFit Games competitor and 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games champion Sam Briggs can attest to that.

“Because the dumbbell is in the middle, it feels like you’ve stood all the way up but you’ve not opened your hips like a traditional deadlift,” she explained after the workout.

At first, she struggled to cycle the hang clean and jerks, suffering a few early no-reps on the dumbbell and allowing four-time Games athlete Kristin Holte—who came out at a blazing pace more characteristic of her competitor—to hold a modest lead in the first few rounds.

But before Briggs took the floor, CrossFit Games host Rory McKernan called her the “Engine from England,” and she did not disappoint. After settling into a rhythm around Round 6—just before the 7-minute mark—she overtook Holte, who was feeling the effects of her aggressive initial pace. By the final minute, Briggs had a 30-rep lead on the Norwegian. When the clock stopped, she had 409 reps to Holte’s 379 (scores are unofficial).

“It got hard around 8 to 10 minutes,” Holte said. “I did my best, and I’m happy with my efforts.”

After, the elites cleared the floor to make room for Brazil’s finest. Veteran Regional competitors and Brazil’s fittest and second-fittest women, Anita Pravatti and Antonelli Nicole, competed alongside two-time CrossFit Games teen competitor Luiza Marques and 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games Boys 16-17 second-place finisher Guilherme Malheiros, who famously snatched 291 lb. at the Games last year.

Though Briggs and Holte put on a good show, the fans made it clear they were there for the Brazilians. Jumping and swaying in time to the music, the crowd burst into song at least twice, brandishing affiliate banners and the Brazilian flag for a small taste of what promises to be a very good time indeed when the competition returns to Brazil for the Latin America Regional in Rio de Janeiro.

As for Briggs, is her victory indicative of another podium year to come?

“It’s a big confidence boost,” she said. “Even if you don’t win overall, if you just win an event it gives you a little boost that maybe you are still among the top in the world.”

Watch the recap of the live announcement of Open Workout 18.1 below. See the full photo album here.