Go Fast, Go Hard

July 24, 2016

Andréa Maria Cecil

Individual athletes end the second-to-last day of competition at break-neck speed.  

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect scoring adjustments.

Fast.

“If you blink, you’re gonna miss it,” noted CrossFit Games commentator Sean Woodland as the top individual men stood on the tennis stadium floor inside the StubHub Center in Carson, California, for Saturday’s final event.

And that’s exactly how it went.

“It’s a nice little sprint to end the day,” noted fellow commentator Tommy Marquez.

Saturday’s final event—called 100%— required athletes to perform 40 box jump overs (30/24 inches) and 20 D-Ball cleans (150/100 lb.). The time cap was 5 minutes. Games Director Dave Castro announced the event roughly 20 minutes before its start.

“It’s not technical,” said former Games athlete Chris Spealler, at the Games coaching two-time Games athlete Garret Fisher. “Rip a ball over your shoulder.”

Shortly after Castro announced the event, the Demo Team performed the workout along with Dan Bailey, who competed at the Games from 2011-2015. The Event 10 demo met with roars from the crowd.

“It sucks,” Bailey said minutes afterward.

Among the women, Alessandra Pichelli took first overall in the event with a time of 2:24.

Tia-Clair Toomey, meanwhile, came in seconds behind at 2:28.96 to take second in the event.

Moments after Castro revealed 100%, Toomey said she had only one thought: “Aw shit, that’s gonna really hurt.”

But she said she had to make peace with it immediately. With such a workout, there’s no real strategy, she confirmed.

“Just go. Just go hard.”

After 10 events, Toomey sits in first place overall.

Reigning Fittest Man on Earth Ben Smith said he was pleasantly surprised as he was expecting a snatch ladder for Saturday’s final event.

“This is good,” he said with a smile just outside the athlete warm-up area.

His plan was simple.

“Put your head down, go as fast as you can.”

Smith finished the event in fifth with a time of 3:00.23, just a few tenths of a second behind fourth-place finisher Marcus Filly, who finished in 3:00.11. Smith sits in second place overall.

But it was rookie Brent Fikowski who stole the show, winning the event in 2:46.01.

“I love box jump overs,” said the 6-foot-2 Canadian athlete. “If I’m going to pick something off the ground, I’d rather it be an odd object than a barbell.”

As the name suggests, Fikowski said his approach for the event was to go 100 percent from the start.

“It’s gonna hurt,” he noted.

So he focused on one thing: “Keep the same pace when it hurts.”

Fikowski sits in fourth place overall going into the final day of competition.


Next up for the individuals: Handstand Walk at 9:50 a.m., Sunday.

For complete results, visit the CrossFit Games Leaderboard.