Tia-Clair Toomey might have been redeemed in 2017, but she’s dominant in 2018.
The defending women’s champ is 114 points up on second-place Laura Horvath to start Sunday, putting her on the inside track to become the third woman to win back-to-back championships.
For the men, Mat Fraser might have looked beatable early, but by Friday night, he was 138 points ahead of Patrick Vellner. With one day of competition left, Fraser looks likely to win his third straight Games and draw yet more comparisons to legendary four-time champion Rich Froning.
The Fittest on Earth will claim their hardware later today at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
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WHOM DO TEEN GAMES ATHLETES ADMIRE AND WHY?
With the teens in the 14-15 Division wrapping up competition this morning, we asked a collection of budding CrossFit stars to name their favorite Individual athletes and explain why they look up to them.
Emma Spath (in no particular order):
Katrin Davidsdottir—“Her attitude.”
Tennil Beuerlein—“She’s so sweet.”
Josh Bridges—“All my family’s in law enforcement, so we can appreciate that side of him.”
Maddy Espinoza:
Katrin Davidsdottir—“She’s one of the nicest CrossFitters I’ve ever met.”
Olivia Villasenor:
Katrin Davidsdottir—“She’s just so inspiring, and I want to grow up to be just like her.”
Olivia Sulek:
Mat Fraser—“His work ethic and his dominance. How hard he pushes even when he’s in the lead.”
Ethan Gush:
Noah Ohlsen—“He’s always in a good mood.”
Rees Cooksy:
Brent Fikowski—“I’m tall and he’s tall as well.”
Christian Gallaher:
Sara Sigmundsdottir—“She’s just extremely likable and a fan favorite. ... She’s sick on the competition floor.”
Cole Martinez:
Mat Fraser—“I really appreciate his work ethic.”
Gigi Sabatini:
Paige Semenza (standing next to her)—“I got to see her put in all the work and get where she is today.”
Paige Semenza (Individual):
Gigi Sabatini—“If she can go out there and give it everything, so can I.”
"NATION"
You might have seen Craig Kenney’s "nation" hashtag. Here’s the story—the short version:
First it was the name of a competition, then it became the name of a character. And then it evolved further.
“It turned out to be the best adjective on the planet that can be used to describe anything awesome,” Kenney said.
It can also be used as a pick-up or greeting. It’s very flexible. But the members of Kenney’s crew know what it means. For example, he said he’ll regularly text Rasmus Andersen and just say “Nation.” Andersen, nearby, nodded in approval: “Nation.”
An example of the word in a sentence, sort of: “How’s that workout? ‘Nation.’”
And what would Kenney say to a person who hit a PR?
“Nation.”
And so we say it to you, CrossFit Games fans: Nation.
YES, YOU CAN
“I could never do that.”
Many older people will watch the masters athletes and say that. But it’s not true. CrossFit workouts and movements can be modified for people at any level.
Pauline Sciascia is one of the fittest sexagenarians in the world, but she doesn’t want people to think she represents an impossible ideal.
“You can do anything at any age—it’s just movement. ... The more moving you do, the more movement you’re going to be able to do when you’re really ancient.”
Sciascia, representing CrossFit Central Wellington in New Zealand, said people who haven’t done anything for years have found success when they start coming to the gym.
Her advice to anyone out there who sees the Games and wants to become healthier at a CrossFit affiliate?
“Just walk through the door.”
GET A GRIP
Dave Castro got some new toys.
After teasing a handstand-walk obstacle course similar to that seen at the 2018 Regionals in an event announcement this afternoon, he split the final two ramps of the course apart and sandwiched a long set of parallettes between them.
John Coltey was the first man to touch the double bars.
He’d never done a parallette handstand walk before, and so he sprinted through the first obstacles unbroken to buffer himself with the best tiebreak time possible.
On his first attempt at the bars, he floated for a moment, then fell.
“You gotta put your hands where you don’t want ‘em. I’m not used to turning my hands like that,” he said after finding his balance and winning his heat. He noted that the width of the bars was a little greater than he would prefer.
Josh Bridges, however, liked them just fine. The problem was not the nature of the implement but rather that his shoulders were taxed from the doubles and the preceding obstacles.
Compared to a standard handstand walk, the parallette bars “felt easier because you could actually get a grip,” he said.
3:30 P.M., AENEAS (INDIVIDUALS)
We first saw the pegboard in 2015: Pedal to the Metal 1 consisted of 3 pegboard ascents followed by a row, a bike and heavy dumbbell snatches.
Like the muscle-up in 2009, few women could grasp the skill. But experience is the best teacher, and Director of the CrossFit Games Dave Castro made sure the athletes got plenty of it since then. He reprogrammed the pegboard in 2016 and now in 2018’s finale—Aeneas: 4 ascents followed by thrusters and an increasingly heavy yoke carry.
“That sucker’s tough—core, grip, legs, everything,” Whitney Gelin said of the pegboard before the event.
She struggled with the board in 2015, tying Kristin Holte for 13th in the event. After, she bought her own pegboard, and she has practiced twice a week since then.
The key, she said, is “keeping your flow. You gotta keep moving. If you get stuck in that spot, then it gets a little tough.
Holte bought a pegboard for homework, too.
“In 2016 I thought I practiced it, and I came back and still was not very good at it,” she said. She took 34th in 2016’s Redemption.
So she kept practicing, videoing her attempts and journaling about how she felt after each session.
Tonight, she’ll approach the pegboard with three strategies to alternate between: climbing hole-by-hole, skipping holes to take a big step, or straightening her arms if the pump gets to be too much.
“When I see I have a weakness, I want to make it my strength.”
FINAL STANDINGS
MEN
1. Mathew Fraser (1162)
2. Patrick Vellner (942)
3. Lukas Högberg (886)
WOMEN
1. Tia-Clair Toomey (1154)
2. Laura Horvath (1090)
3. Katrin Davidsdottir (1020)
Visit the Leaderboard for a complete list of the overall standings for TEAMS, MASTERS and TEENAGERS.