Two weeks of the Open are behind us, and Director of the CrossFit Games Dave Castro doubled down on the promise that dumbbells would rear their ugly heads this year.
For the second year in a row, toes-to-bars came in Week 2 but were given little attention. Even the inclusion of bar muscle-ups took a back seat to the announcement that dumbbell power cleans and front-rack walking lunges were on deck for 17.2.
I don’t know about you, but this new combination of movements and format had me questioning my fitness after 12 minutes. Thankfully “athlete” isn’t in my job description and I could sit back and enjoy the multitude of impressive performances across the board.
Grade: A+
Sam Briggs: This was a no-brainer. Briggs won her record-extending ninth Open workout in 17.2, which puts her two ahead of Josh Bridges and three ahead of Rich Froning on the all-time list.
Through two weeks of the Open, Sam’s point total of 3 is the lowest ever by an individual athlete at this stage of the competition.
The next three lowest totals in Open history at this point were Annie Thorisdottir in 2011 (5 points), Rich Froning in 2014 (6 points), and Briggs’ own total from 2013 (6 points). And in all three instances, Thorisdottir, Froning and Briggs went on to win the CrossFit Games as well as the Open. We could be witnessing history in the making.
Matt Hewett and James Hobart: Another two-for-one on this week’s report card goes out to the men not named Rich Froning on CrossFit Mayhem Freedom’s past two championship squads.
Matt Hewett finished fourth worldwide in 17.2 and James Hobart finished sixth (Froning on the other hand, a distant 16th). Both men are in the top 40 worldwide after two weeks and are showcasing one of the reasons why Mayhem claimed the Affiliate Cup in 2016 and ran roughshod through the competition.
Nina Ladvenicova: The top score in 17.2 across all of the teenage divisions came from Nina Ladvenicova. The 14-year-old athlete out of Europe finished 17.2 with an astounding 212 reps.
The caveat that her division uses a lighter dumbbell is pretty much irrelevant when you consider her age, weight (49kg/108 lb.), and the fact that she still did toes-to-bars and bar muscle-ups.
I’d be willing to bet you could give more than half of the individual men 20 lb. dumbbells and have them redo 17.2 and they wouldn’t finish 212 reps. Ladvenicova’s score is simply that good and shows an impressive level of capacity and skill from someone so young.
Grade: A
The Smith Bros: In this edition of “Our Family is Fitter Than You,” the Smith brothers, Ben Alec, and Dane, decided that this week was a good time to showcase their skills.
All three brothers finished first, second and third overall in the Mid Atlantic in 17.2. The youngest brother, Dane, made the biggest splash, edging out big brother, Ben, on the workout via tie-break, and moving into first place overall in the region after two weeks.
Ben and Alec are both in a qualifying spots for Regionals as well, and it’s in the realm of possibility that by the end of the Atlantic Regional, there could be three Smith brothers lining up in the final heat.
Tracy OConnell: Being her first year in the Masters Women 45-49 Division, it's safe to say Tracy OConnel is off to a good start. OConnell sits in first place in the division after two weeks of the Open behind a win in 17.2.
OConnell’s 202 reps were 28 more than her nearest competitor in the workout, and she was the only athlete to break the 200-rep threshold in her division. Right now she sits 1 point ahead of 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games champion in this division, Cheryl Brost.
She’s one of four athletes in her division to finish both workouts in the top 10 worldwide, which is exactly the type of first impression you want to make in your first year in a new category.
Grade: B-
Nicole Holcomb: Nicole Holcomb had a much better go at 17.2 than she did at 17.1. Holcomb sat in 54th place in the Central East after Week 1 of the Open. The multi-year Games veteran bounced back with a 13th-place finish in the Central East in 17.2, but she’s still on the outside looking in.
Holcomb is in 22nd place overall in her region heading into Week 3 of the Open. She’s trending in the right direction, but the minor hole she built herself in Week 1 means that she still needs another couple strong performances to guarantee that she’ll advance.
I don’t have any doubts that she will do just that, but she still gets a B- for making things difficult.
Candice Wagner: There were five different women that led at the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games. Briggs, Katrin Davidsdottir, Tia-Clair Toomey, Thorisdottir and Candice Wagner. Wagner had a nice return to the Games highlighted by being in the overall lead after two events at The Ranch.
After two events in this year’s Open, Wagner has not yet seen that same level of success. She sits in a tie for 23rd overall in the South Central Region. Similar to Holcomb, I think she’ll improve as the weeks go on and end up near the top of her region.
For now, she’ll have to focus on getting back into the top 20 and guaranteeing herself a spot a Regionals.
Grade: C-
Will Powell: This was a tough grade to give because Will Powell is one of the most decorated Masters athletes in CrossFit Games history. He is the three-time reigning champion spanning two years in the Masters Men 55-59 Division and one in the 50-54 category, but his quest for a fourth is off to a slow start.
So far, Powell has delivered his two worst performances in the Open since joining the age division in 2015. His 78th-place finish in 17.2 is leaps and bounds lower than his previous worst finish (14th) worldwide in the Open the last two years.
Powell is in 40th place overall going into Week 3, but in reality, it should be no cause for concern. The nice part about being a three-time champ is that all he really needs to do is work his way back into the top 20 to be in a good position for the Masters Qualifier. If he can make it back to the Games, the slates are wiped clean.
Rasmus Andersen: Rasmus Andersen had a fantastic year in 2016. He qualified for his first CrossFit Games as an individual, and finished 12th overall worldwide in the Open. In the offseason he moved to Dubai and to a new region.
Andersen is in 15th place in the Africa Region and actually dropped a spot from 14th after 17.2. Africa only gets 10 spots to the Meridian Regional, so he has some work to do if he wants a shot at getting back to the Games in 2017.
Andersen is extremely talented and should find his way back into the top 10 in the coming weeks. However, the Africa Region has seen a large influx of talent from outside the region stemming from opportunities to coach and train at affiliates with world-class facilities in the United Arab Emirates. Athletes like Phil Hesketh, Adrian Mundwiler, and Jonne Koski occupy spots in the top 10 and will make his climb much more difficult.
