Outside the CrossFit Games Finals, you don’t usually get to see two champions for the price of one.
Since the first Regionals competitions in 2011, the male and female Games champs have never competed at the same qualifying event, making 2017 a special year at the East Regional.
Mat Fraser, fresh off the most dominant Finals performance in Games history, wears the target in the men’s field, and two-time champ Katrin Davidsdottir perhaps attracts even more attention.
Some, like 19-year-old Kelly Wilhide, are blunt when asked if it’s daunting to compete not just at Regionals but against the Fittest on Earth.
“It’s kind of terrifying. … I think it will be humbling,” she said Thursday after check-in.
Others are more seasoned and brush off the suggestion that the champions’ presence affects the field.
“I think Mat’s a phenomenal athlete. He’s great. I’m not going to take anything away, but I’m not going to compare myself to him or anyone else. I’ve got to have tunnel vision,” said Chase Smith,* a former semi-pro football player who lost a spot in the Games last year via tiebreaker. “It’s OK to look left and right, but at the end of the day, that’s left and right. I need to focus on myself.”
Still, Smith admits other competitors have some effect.
“I can see where some folks are, where I’m catching up and where I’m falling off. I just try to figure out where I can turn it on. … Everyone has an extra gear. It’s whether they want to go there or not.”
Paul Tremblay, who competed at the Games in 2014, said he barely notices Fraser but doesn’t discount his presence.
“The only way I know he’s in the heat is because they keep saying his name. … I’d be lying if (I said) it didn’t elevate the field. People know he’s out there.”
The champ, for his part, sees the same double-edged sword.
“I really try to focus on what I’m capable of. If I’m going as fast as I can and the guy next to me is going faster, I’m not going to find an extra mile per hour or anything in me,” Fraser said. “But at the same time, it’s good to have people chasing you. I’ve grown to love that feeling of being scared.”
Tori Dyson has a different perspective entirely: The Fittest Woman on Earth has been her training partner and friend for the last year. Dyson, a 22-year-old former gymnast and gymnastics coach has also trained with Smith and 2016 Games athlete Tasia Percevecz previously, so she’s accustomed to being around top competitors. Still, Davidsdottir has influenced Dyson a great deal.
“I’ve learned probably more from her than I’ve learned from anybody else—coaches, athletes, anything,” she said.
Talk to her further and it seems she considers Davidsdottir more a friend than a CrossFit Games champion. In fact, Dyson wants to work her way into the top 10 not to compete against the Icelander but to support her.
“You do your whole vision of the weekend sort of thing, and I’m like envisioning on the last day being in the same heat and being able to walk over and give her a hug, just like at home.”
Dig a little further into the field and you’ll find a similar sentiment. Francesca Emanuele and Chelsey Hughes train together at Brick CrossFit Grand Central Station. In the Open, the latter finished one spot and 9 points ahead of the former in the North East Region. They both acknowledge Davidsdottir’s presence but don’t dwell on it.
“I know she’s there and it pumps me up and it’s cool, but it’s more so a focus on my abilities,” Emanuele said.
Hughes agreed: “I would say her presence is really strong in the warm-up pit … Any time you have champ status, that aura kind of surrounds you, so I definitely notice her in the warm-up pit, but once the buzzer goes off, like Francesca, I think we’re just all in our own lane.”
That said, the two were thrilled to be lane neighbors when the heat lists came out. And they said they definitely notice each other, both in training and in competition. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and they pace off each other.
More than that, they support each other.
Hughes finished fifth in the first event and was down the floor to encourage Emanuele as she worked through the reps.
“I was like waiting for it. I was like, ‘There she is. Oh my gosh.’ … It was amazing. It was exactly what I needed. And it showed. You saw me moving faster,” Emanuele explained.
Hughes echoed her partner: “I would say it’s kind of comforting to have good energy around you.”
Hughes finished in 4:44.45 and immediately turned around to look for Emanuele. As she worked, Hughes crouched beside her and offered encouragement. Emanuele left a few reps on the table when time expired, but her friend was there right away to offer a fist bump, and they walked out together. They’ll no doubt support each other through the rest of the competition—and beyond.
If Hughes stays where she’s at after Day 1, she might need Emanuele in Wisconsin.
So it turns out you can throw the two best CrossFit athletes in the world into a competition, and they’ll have an effect—though most athletes will try to ignore it.
But if you put two training partners next to each other, the effect is instant, dramatic and constant. And welcome.
Maybe in CrossFit friends are better than rivals.
Men
1. Mat Fraser (195)
2. Patrick Vellner (180)
3. Tim Paulson (175)
4. Max Bragg (155)
5. Austin Spencer (151)
Women
1. Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault (200)
2. Katrin Davidsdottir (185)
3. Kari Pearce (166)
4. Dani Horan (159)
5. Chelsey Hughes (155)
Teams
1. Team Back Bay (190)
2. Team CrossFit Milford (190)
3. Reebok CrossFit ONE (165)
4. CrossFit Queens (165)
5. Pro1 Montreal (163)
For complete details, visit the Leaderboard.
* Unfortunately, Chase Smith withdrew due to injury.
