Week 2 of Regionals kicks off with the Pacific on Thursday evening for those of us in the western hemisphere.
A Regional that always brings a raucous crowd will surely bring more memorable performances, even if they happen while many of us are asleep. Among all the action that will be taking place down in Australia this weekend, here are five storylines I’ll be watching.
KARA vs. TIA, ROUND 3
Without question, the two biggest names at the Pacific Regional are Tia-Clair Toomey and Kara Webb. Toomey and Webb placed highest among Pacific athletes and teams at last year's Games (second and seventh, respectively).
Toomey bested Webb at the Games in 2015 and 2016. We’ll never know how Webb would have finished in 2015 had she not been dealing with the effect of heat-related injuries from Murph, but Toomey was decisively better in Carson in 2017. Her back-and-forth with eventual two-time champion Katrin Davidsdottir on the final day is the stuff of legends.
Regionals have been a different story, though, with Webb thoroughly manhandling the competition both years, beating Toomey by 67 and 30 points, respectively. While neither finished outside of the top five in any event, Webb garnered the attention of fans and fellow competitors by winning four of the seven events in spectacular fashion.
This weekend provides another opportunity for the two amazing women to duke it out in Wollongong. Week 1 of Regionals brought some exciting battles and surprising results thanks to dazzling performances by Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault and Tennil Reed. I’m hoping that Toomey and Webb can keep the momentum going and have a clash that will carry over to the Games in Madison.
HELEN HARDING QUALIFYING TWICE?
If one invite to the CrossFit Games is a dream come true, two invites must be twice as nice, right? If Helen Harding manages to finish the weekend in the top five in the women's competition in the Pacific, we’ll have to ask her.
Harding is already guaranteed a spot in Madison after winning the Online Qualifier in the Masters Women 40-44 Division. She’s the reigning champ in the division and has yet to lose across any stage of competition.
In addition, Harding has had the honor of receiving Regional invites for Individual competition for the last two years. In 2016, then 40-year-old Harding finished 11th at the Pacific Regional despite a 34th-place finish in Event 1. She finished five of the next six events in 11th or better.
This year, she finished fourth in the Open in Australia and has a legitimate shot at qualifying for the Games as an individual. Harding’s one weakness compared to the Regional field was the heavy barbell—something she won’t have to worry about this weekend.
Day 1 is big for Harding if she wants to qualify. Both workouts feature gymnastics and body-weight movements, which suit her strengths. If Day 3 rolls around and Harding is within striking distance of the top five, I’d expect some fireworks from her on the muscle-ups in Event 5.
ASIA: LAST REGION STANDING
Asia is the only region of the 17 worldwide to have not sent a representative to the Games under the current format. To be fair, Latin America just sent its first one last weekend, and Africa’s qualifiers haven’t necessarily been homegrown, as many athletes have moved there from other parts of the world.
The representatives from Asia have struggled mightily to keep up with their competitors from Australia and New Zealand.
Yuko Sakuyama has consistently been at the top of Asia's women’s division in the Open but has yet to make a serious run at Regionals. The top two teams from Asia in the Open this year—Team Conan and Korea Team—are both from South Korea, but only Conan has competed at Regionals under the current format, finishing 15th last year.
Eric Carmody, the most recent male Games qualifier from Asia, won the Open this year and stands a chance at qualifying for the Games again. But he’ll have his hands full as there are a host of talented individuals from Australia who stand in his way.
On the bright side, Asia has seen significant increases in the number of affiliates that are making the Sport of Fitness accessible in recent years. The number of affiliates in South Korea has nearly tripled since 2014. More affiliates means more training resources and places for athletes to grow.
TOP TEAMS FROM THE OPEN
It’s always nice to see different names at the top of the Leaderboard. I’ll admit, being an American on the other side of the world makes keeping up to date with all things Australia a bit tough. But I do appreciate seeing Functional Strength and Range of Motion mixing things up at the top of the Open Leaderboard.
The season for teams really starts at Regionals since the Open is simply a collection of individual efforts tallied up. At Regionals, we finally get to see the teams operate as a unit and utilize communication, rhythm, and a deep working knowledge of each other's capabilities to succeed.
This is even more true when considering that the Worm unearthed itself at Regionals this year and is included in a workout every single day. Teams will not be able to escape it, which makes me more excited to watch Functional Strength and Range of Motion compete. Success in the Open as a team is one thing; success at Regionals (Worm included) is an entirely different beast.
Both teams are Regional vets, but neither has qualified for the Games. Functional Strength finished seventh and was just 6 points behind fifth-placed CrossFit Loaded. Range of Motion was a distant 16th place in 2016. I’m curious to see how the addition of Games-level elements to the team competition shakes up the Leaderboard at Regionals.
RICKY GARARD AND LUKE FISO
After narrowly missing Games qualification last year, Ricky Garard is ready for redemption. Garard won the Open in Australia and claimed victory in Open Workouts 17.2 and 17.5 along the way.
Just behind Garard in second place after the Open is Luke Fiso. Fiso first qualified for Regionals in 2015 when he finished 33rd overall. The following year brought a significant improvement as Fiso cut his finishing placement nearly in half, taking 16th last year in the Pacific. If he follows a similar trend this year, he’ll be solidly in the hunt for one of the five qualifying spots.
Catch all the action of the Pacific Regional right here on Games.CrossFit.com, the CrossFit Games Facebook Page or YouTube.com/CrossFitHQ.
