Week Two in Review: Australia

March 18, 2013

John Michael Bric

After snatches and burpees last week, athletes tackled deadlifts, box jumps and shoulder-to-overheads, in a challenging 10-minute AMRAP.
 

Week two of the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Open is officially over, and the Leaderboard is finalized for Workout 13.2.

After snatches and burpees last week, athletes tackled deadlifts, box jumps and shoulder-to-overheads, in a challenging 10-minute AMRAP.

The Australia Region held some great performances, such as unaffiliated athlete, Ben Garard, completing 387 reps to post the equal best score worldwide for the men.

For the women, Linda Thomas was the best in the region, completing 380 reps, while CrossFit Active posted a top 10 worldwide score for the teams.

Here’s a closer look at each of the major divisions.

Men

For the men, Australia was one of the best performing regions this week.

Five athletes finished inside the top 40 for 13.2. Garard, the 25th-place finisher at last year’s Australia Regional completed 387 reps — nine more than nearest rival, Scott Mackenzie, who sits in fourth for the region.

Garard now leads Australia, just ahead of dual CrossFit Games competitor, Rob Forte, who scored 360 reps on 13.2. James Newbury rounds out the top three after posting the sixth best score in Australia with 352 reps.

Reigning Regional champion, and ninth-place finisher at the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, Chad Mackay, is nicely placed in 20th position, while Games athlete Brandon Swan is 13th overall.

Other notable names include three-time Games competitor Chris Hogan (53rd in Australia), his brother Kieran Hogan (15th) and Brendan Clarke (26th).

Last week’s leader, Matt Reilly, has slipped down the Leaderboard to 24th place after completing 319 reps on 13.2.

Women

Linda Thomas was the stand out performer this week, completing 380 reps to post the eighth-best score worldwide for the women.

Thomas finished five reps ahead of Tricia Muller, who posted the 17th best score in the world for 13.2, and 18 reps better than Amanda Allen who finished inside the top-25 worldwide.

Allen, the 19th-place finisher at the 2011 Games, now leads Australia, three points ahead of reigning Regional champ, Kara Gordon. Andrea Miller is in third place.

Ruth Anderson Horrell, 17th-place finisher at last year’s Games, is now in ninth place in Australia. 2011 Regional champ, Amy Dracup, is 16th, and veteran Megan Smith is 28th.

Thomas moved up to 13th overall in Australia.

Team

CrossFit Active remains the team to catch in Australia, after posting the best score for the second week in a row.

The affiliate’s combined total of 2,012 reps for Workout 13.2 was the eighth-best score in the world, leaving them 23rd worldwide.

CrossFit Athletic posted the second-best score in the Region for 13.2 and now moves up to third place in Australia, while Schwartz’s CrossFit Melbourne is second overall.

Tropic Thunder is a bit further down the Leaderboard tied in the 26th position.

Masters

Peter Ryder is the standout athlete in Australia after week two. He scored 282 reps in 13.2 to sit in the second position worldwide in the 50-54 Division.

Kiwi Garry Jones sits in first place in the 60+ Division for the men after 297 reps on 13.2, while Lynne Knapman is tied for sixth worldwide in the Masters Women 50-54 Division with a score of 284 on 13.2.