A rising star, the next Haley Adams, and twin brothers? It’s all in Day 2 of the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
After six events, division leaders are establishing themselves at the top of the leaderboard heading into the last day of competition. Read on for highlights from Day 2 in the teen divisions.
Event 4
(Ages 16-17)
For time:
84/68-cal. bike erg
42 medicine-ball GHD sit-ups (20/14 lb., women to 6-in. riser)
42 dumbbell squats (50/35 lb.)
84-ft. handstand walk (athletes must complete 42-ft. section unbroken.)
42 sandbag squats (150/100 lb.)
84-ft. handstand walk (athletes must complete 42-ft. section unbroken.)
(Ages 14-15)
For time:
84/68-cal. bike erg
42 GHD sit-ups (women to 6-in. riser)
42 dumbbell squats (35/20 lb.)
84-ft. handstand walk
42 sandbag squats (100/70 lb.)
84-ft. handstand walk
Boys 14-15
“I’m really confident about this event,” said Gustavo Pusch, the division leader heading into Day 1, as he walked into the stadium for Event 4. “There’s some movements that I really like, so I think I’m going to be a good competitor.”
As the teen boys adjusted the seats on their Concept2 bikes, you could hear someone in the crowd yelling “go slow” at Pusch. Despite the explosive energy we saw from him yesterday, Pusch stayed calm and patient throughout the event. He was one of the last athletes to finish each movement and took ninth in the event, but still kept his first-place position on the leaderboard heading into Event 5.
Meanwhile, Ty Jenkins stole the spotlight.
He sped through the bike, GHD sit-ups, and dumbbell squats before kicking up into his handstand well before the rest of the heat. But stepping on his toes were RJ Mestre and Isaiah Weber, who both threatened Jenkin’s lead in a hand race to the end zone. Weber pulled ahead but kicked down just inches before the finish line, handing the win to Jenkins while Mesetre took second and Weber finished third.
Event 4 Results
- Ty Jenkins - 11:58:57
- RJ Mestre - 11:58:63
- Isaiah Weber - 12:03:09
Girls 14-15
Could we be witnessing the next Haley Adams? Olivia Kerstetter continued to defend her lead in the first event of Day 2. Finishing the bike and GHD sit-ups at the front of the pack, she went on to complete the dumbbell squats and handstand walks unbroken.
“I was just going to go into (the handstand walks) based on the feel, and they actually felt better than I expected,” Kerstetter said. “I actually surprised myself (by) going unbroken.”
She finished Event 4 at 8:48:19, winning by over two minutes before second-place finisher Trista Smith, who finished at 11:04:70.
Event 4 Results
- Olivia Kerstetter - 8:48:19
- Trista Smith - 11:04:70
- Bianca Miller - 11:08:99
Boys 16-17
Rökkvi Guðnason was the athlete to watch during Event 4.
He was first off the bike, first off the GHD, and first to the sandbag squats. His pace was unbeatable. Although Nate Ackermann met him at the sandbag squats, Guðnason was first to the last set of handstand walks. He crossed the finish line at 13:46:09. Ackermann entered the end zone almost a minute later.
In a post-event interview, Guðnason admitted to a shocking detail: He had never done a sandbag squat before.
“To practice it for the first time on the big stage was a pretty interesting experience, but I managed to pull it off,” he said.
Only two competitors finished within the 16-min. time cap: Guðnason and Ackermann, the rest of the field outdone by the heavy bags.
Event 4 Results
- Rökkvi Guðnason - 13:46:09
- Nate Ackermann - 14:44:89
- Hiko O Te Rangi - CAP+2
Girls 16-17
Emma Lawson is not planning on backing down anytime soon.
Heading into the first event of Day 2 with two first-place finishes and a second-place finish, Lawson felt the pressure to keep the winning streak alive.
“You start every event at zero, so you’ve got to do the best you can,” Lawson said as she walked into the stadium for Event 4.
Emma Lawson (Left), Olivia Sulek (Middle), and Hayleigh Kanthack (Right) during Event 4 — Photo by Ginnie Coleman
The first off the bike was Aubriana Montplaisir, but Lawson was the first to the handstand walks, pausing briefly at the halfway mark to avoid false reps.
With a comfortable lead for most of the event, it seemed Lawson didn’t notice a few of her competitors sneaking up behind her. After coming off her hands at the halfway mark just before the finish line, Lawson glanced behind her to see Paulina Haro and Jadzia Onorati-Phillips chasing her down. Feeling the pressure, Lawson quickly kicked back up and crossed the finish line at 11:37:48, just seconds before Haro and Onorati-Philips.
Event 4 Results
- Emma Lawson - 11:37:48
- Paulina Haro - 11:41:68
- Jadzia Onorati-Phillips - 11:41:91
Event 5
(Ages 16-17)
500-m swim
(Ages 14-15)
300-m swim
Time cap: 16 min.
Boys 14-15
The heat got off to an aggressive start as the athletes attempted to separate themselves from the cluster. Still, it came down to a footrace as six athletes exited the water at the same time. Ty Jenkins crossed first for his second event win of the day with a time of 3:46:98.
Twin brothers Rafael and Rodrigo Candeias both ended in the top four, with Rafael finishing in third and Rodrigo in fourth.
This was the final event for the 14-15 age divisions for Day 2.
Event 5 Results
- Ty Jenkins - 3:46:98
- Caden Poulin - 4:31:68
- Rafael Candeias - 4:32:82
Girls 14-15
A handful of the 14-15-year-old girls are swimmers, and Emily Meyer is one of them.
She is on her high school’s swim team and has been a competitive swimmer since she was eight years old. Meyer won Event 4 with a time of 4:16:74, securing her first career CrossFit Games event victory.
This event revealed a weakness for Olivia Kerstetter. She crossed the finish line in eighth —her second-worst finish so far — but still holds onto her first-place position heading into the final day of competition.
Event 5 Results
- Emily Meyer - 4:16:74
- Lucy McGonigle - 4:27:93
- Morgan Hickson - 4:27:98
Boys 16-17
The challenge in this event: find a lane.
With four groups treading aggressively through the water at once, the name of the game was to stick to a lane and avoid collisions.
Hiko O Te Rangi from New Zealand secured his first event win after crossing the finish line at 8:32:02. Division leader Nate Ackermann came in second with a time of 8:41:69, and Aaron Merritt joined the top-three crew after finishing the 500-meter swim in 9:11:40.
Event 5 Results
- Hiko O Te Rangi - 8:32:02
- Nate Ackermann - 8:41:69
- Aaron Merritt - 9:11:40
Girls 16-17
The first teenage girl out of the water was Jadzia Onorati-Phillips at 8:15:46. Molly Chicone emerged from the water 10 seconds later to take second place while Emma Lawson slipped behind Chicone and for third, guarding the name “leader” heading into the final event of the day.
Event 5 Results:
- Jadzia Onorati-Phillips - 8:15:46
- Molly Chicone - 8:25:35
- Emma Lawson - 9:00:25
Event 6
(16-17 division only)
For time:
30/24-cal. row
15 clean and jerks (155/105 lb.)
Sled push
5-min. time cap
Boys 16-17
Michel Jean was first off the rower and to the barbell, starting with fast singles. But it was David Bradley who sped through the clean and jerks and was first to the sled push, closely followed by Nate Ackermann. Bradley was the only athlete to finish under 3 minutes, with a time of 2:57:33.
“Honestly, at the start, I thought, ‘You know what? It’s not that bad,’” Bradley said. “Then I got about halfway and the lactic acid started to build real quick ...the last 25 feet was the hardest sled push I’ve ever done.”
Michel looked as though he had third place in his grasp when Rökkvi Guðnason snuck in behind and sprinted past with the sled, leaving Michel with a fourth-place finish in the event.
Event 6 Results:
- David Bradley - 2:57:33
- Nate Ackermann - 3:01:69
- Rökkvi Guðnason - 3:06:54
Girls 16-17
After Emma Lawson’s three event wins in the first four events, Olivia Sulek set out to challenge the overall winner. Through swift touch-and-go clean and jerks and a sprint to the end zone, Sulek took her first event win of the competition with a time of 2:35:97.
Her only plan heading into the event? Sprint.
“I love these types of workouts,” Sulek said. “I’ve won three (career) workouts at the Games and they’ve all been these sprint, grind, don’t need to think, just go.”
Claire Doty, who was the first athlete off of the rower, filed in between Sulek and Lawson during the sled push, securing the second-place position with a time of 2:48:41.
Event 6 Results
- Olivia Sulek - 2:35:97
- Claire Doty - 2:48:41
- Emma Lawson - 2:52:90
Overall Standing After Day 2
Boys 14-15
- Ty Jenkins (360 pts.)
- Isaiah Weber (350 pts.)
- Gustavo Pusch (335 pts.)
Girls 14-15
- Olivia Kerstetter (320 pts.)
- Jenna Michelotti (310 pts.)
- Lucy McGonigle (295 pts.)
Boys 16-17
- Nate Ackermann (540 pts.)
- David Bradley (495 pts.)
- Hiko O Te Rangi (475 pts.)
Girls 16-17
- Emma Lawson (575 pts.)
- Olivia Sulek (520 pts.)
- Jadzia Onorati-Phillips (480 pts.)
Note: All times and placements are unofficial at the time of publication.
Featured image by Meg Ellery