Asia woke up to a mash-up that was to be 17 minutes of burpee and snatch hell.
For the majority of athletes in the Asia Region, finding out what 13.1 had in store for them meant a restless night’s sleep and a regular clicking of the “refresh” button on the Games site, thanks to the major time difference.
Only days earlier in an interview, head coach of CrossFit Equator, Brian Pandji was asked what he would and wouldn’t like to see come out of the hopper.
“What I would rather not see, would be, burpees.”
No doubt Pandji was not alone in his thoughts, as Asia woke up to the mash-up that was to be 17 minutes of burpee and snatch hell. A true test of gymnastics ability, Olympic lifting skills and lung capacity, Open Workout 13.1 left Asia breathless to say the least, but psyched for what 13.2 will bring.
Men
Tanner Shuck submitted his score (180 reps) just before the deadline, placing him first in Asia, with Brent Tittle taking the second spot with 172 reps. Both athletes are new to the Asia Region, but not to the competitive side of CrossFit.
“I found the first Open (workout) was extremely challenging, both physically and mentally,” Tittle says. “It's amazing how much heavier the bar felt as I began to get tired. As for the burpees, there is something demoralizing about throwing yourself at the ground over and over and continuing to stand up. I think that was one of the mental challenges. Once your chest touches the ground, everything in your mind and body is screaming for you to just stay there, but you continue to find ways to stand up every time. Overall I thought it was a nasty, but great WOD!”
Last year’s Asia Regional winner, Daniel Hershey sits in a comfortable third place after completing 171 reps.
Women
Lots of familiar names from last year’s regional weekend began dominating Asia’s top spots, with Candice Howe leading the way for the majority of the week following the announcement of the workout.
By 5 p.m. PT, Sunday, March 10, Howe was placed third with 178 reps, missing out by just a single rep to second place finisher Nicole Tainatongo (179 reps) and Maura McGraw (also 179 reps), whose last-minute submission placed her at the top by the end of Week One.
All three women were prominent competitors in Seoul last year, and no doubt we will be hearing more of them in weeks to come.
Team
The number of teams in Asia participating in this year’s Open has almost tripled since last year, providing affiliates with a very healthy and no doubt welcome dose of competition. Japan, Korea, Guam, Brunei, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the UAE are just a few of the countries out to make their mark in 2013.
Currently setting the standard is team CrossFit Asia with a total of 985 reps, closely followed by team CrossFit Misawa with 984.
Both teams feature the top female and male athlete from the region last year (Christen Wagner and Hershey, respectively), who will no doubt be making valuable contributions to the team as the Open progresses.
