Athletes in Asia feel the pain of the 100s going into Event 5--a couplet of heavy deadlifts and high box jumps.
Michael Mogard best described the brutality of Event 5 at the beginning of today, when he predicted fatigue at the end of Event 4 overflowing into the day’s final event.
“You need to think about how hard you want to go after the 100s, given the heavy lifting involved in Event 5,” said the athlete who continues to sit atop the Leaderboard after Day 2.
Daniel Hershey’s wish came true this afternoon, with CrossFit Misawa taking this one from the weekend’s domineering CrossFit Asia.
The women’s event threw up a predictable winner with Nicole Tainatongo, who was almost a minute ahead of second-place finisher Vanessa Fung, thus holding onto her No. 1 ranking at the end of today.
The men’s event saw a fair bit of fluctuation across the Leaderboard, with Marcus Smith coming out on top, although Michael Mogard held on to first place overall.
Teams
CrossFit Sentinel Downtown weren’t ready to be forgotten just yet.
Although left out of contention to qualify for the Games, the hometown guys showed everyone what they were capable of, unleashing unbroken reps in the first round of deadlifts.
However, it was quite evident that Event 4 had taken its toll on the athletes’ strength and overall.
For CrossFit Asia, the pace slowed down once female counterpart Kristen Arnold reached the lethal combination.
“Kristen’s back was hurting from this morning’s dumbbell snatches,” explained her team partner Samuel Johnson.
Over at CrossFit Misawa, all was well as Denny Kimmel and Gracie Anderson tag-teamed to deliver yet another day of stellar work.
Event 5
1. CrossFit Misawa (09:34)
2. CrossFit Asia (10:33)
3. CrossFit Sentinel ONE (12:48)
Overall
1. CrossFit Asia (7)
2. CrossFit Misawa (8)
3. CrossFit Sentinel ONE (27)
Women
Stepping on the finish mat in less than five minutes, Tainatongo ensured no one came within striking distance of her leader position.
“I kept pushing through the pain and never let my guard down,” said the event winner.
At just 5 feet, Yuko Sakuyama found the event pretty daunting.
Sakuyama, who only started CrossFit in February, saw no problem as she matched Tainatongo’s pace from the start.
“ … Lifting was my hobby before CrossFit. Deadlifts are my favorite, and I know how to do unbroken reps,” said Sakuyama, who only stopped twice to take a breather during the event.
“Box jumping wasn’t too difficult. Just don’t stop and just keep going,” Sakuyama added.
Another notable performance was that of Christine Drankiewicz, who finished third, creeping up from ninth place, in Event 4.
“I was definitely looking forward to this event. I have a pretty constant high-rep deadlift. I did the same workout a few weeks ago and it took me over 7:40. I definitely did a lot better today,” said an ecstatic Drankewicz who PR’d on the couplet.
Event 5
1. Nicole Tainatongo (04:22)
2. Vanessa Fung (05:34)
3. Christine Drankiewicz (05:43)
Overall
1. Nicole Tainatongo (7)
2. Candice Howe (17)
3. Vanessa Fung (26)
Men
An unlikely hero emerged on the other side of Event 5 for the men.
The heavy deadlifts never posed a problem for Marcus Smith, who managed unbroken reps in the first round of deadlifts.
Smith exemplified the ‘Show no weakness’ mantra emblazoned on his T-shirt and climbed up to 18th on the Leaderboard.
Timmy Jacobsson, who struggled with the box jumps in the Open, finished third for his heat and credited his bright socks for endowing him with special powers.
“Thanks to my multi-colored socks, I managed to do well in the box jumps today,” he said.
Michael Mogard continues to dominate. He resorted to single-rep deadlifts by the end of Event 5 and finished in 12th place.
Tanner Shuck provided yet another entertaining performance for the crowd. Dressed in a Metallica T-shirt, he sported what can only be called a cross between a Mohawk and a crew cut.
Clearly the crowd’s favorite, he managed to wrestle out 17 unbroken deadlifts before resorting to singles in the first round.
Deciding to rest only at the top of his box jumps he finished strong to end the event in third place.
“I was really looking forward this this Event as this is much shorter than the 100s. I would much rather do a short and heavy workout rather than a long and light one,” said the Head Coach of CrossFit MNL.
Event 5
1. Marcus Smith (04:03)
2. Cameron Currie (04:26)
3. Tanner Shuck (04:48)
Overall
1. Michael Mogard (22)
2. Justin Ahrens (36)
3. Joseph Rank (41)
