Week Four in Review: Latin America

March 20, 2012

Thomas Patton

As the 2012 CrossFit Games Open rolls onto its final stages, last year’s top names and the strongest dark horses are now solidifying their names on the Leaderboard.

After four completed workouts, the combined positions in the Leaderboard tend to fluctuate even less when the results are posted in these final weeks. To our surprise and at odds with the trend of the past three weeks, the majority of the top names posted quickly for this workout. By Friday almost all the top names had posted, as if wall balls, double-unders and muscle-ups were a strength for them all.

To the surprise of many of the region´s affiliate owners who felt that double-unders and Karen had been well reinforced, this workout forbid a high score to a large number of the Region’s competitors. Not only did many decent competitors, both men and women, not get to the muscle-ups, but other competitors could not even finish the wall balls.

In a consistent fashion to the clever programming of the Open, the top six women in Latin America for workout 12.4 are also the top six in the Leaderboard. Anita Pravatti (CrossFit Jundiaí-Brazil) still sits comfortably in 1st, followed by the now tied Krista Pell and Marylin Rojas (CrossFit Cayman-Cayman Islands, CrossFit Santiago-Chile). Wanda Brenton and Jenn Chailler, both from CrossFit 7-Mile from the Cayman Islands, once again finish 4th and 5th, respectively. As predicted, Tarassa Barnett, Latin America’s 2011 Games Competitor climbs up a spot and although she does not quite make it into the top five, she sits as 6th after a 1st place in Workout 12.4 with 8 muscle ups.

The men also continue with a similar trend. Orlando Trejo (CrossFit Peru) impresses us all with one complete round in Workout 12.4. He continues to be a top 2012 Games contender as he sits in 5th on the worldwide overall.

David Andrade Salazar (CrossFit Quito – Ecuador) still follows in 2nd despite his Congenital Talipes Equinovarus (also known as club foot) physical impediment proving that heart and intensity is the main ingredient to being a champ.

Juan Cruz Sartori (Argos CrossFit – Argentina), unknown until the 2012 Open, remains in the 3rd spot he took last week. Doug Oberbeck (CrossFit Bogota – Colombia), the only man in Latin America to beat Trejo in 12.3, again finished high in Workout 12.4 with the second score of 261, helping him break the top five into the 4th position. Luis Perez has once again submitted an impressive video of 261 reps that has landed him at a 5th place in the region.

The pressure is on for those near the cutline, and the crushed dreams of many are now starting to materialize. The top positions nonetheless have been held consistently by the strong few who appear to have their Latin America Regional position secure.