TEAM

Photo by: CrossFit HQ
 

Event 1

 

410-lb. partner deadlifts

Synchronized chest-to-bar pull-ups

 

MF pair 1 completes 45 reps

MF pair 2 completes 27-18 reps

MF pair 3 completes 21-15-9 reps

 

Time cap: 20 minutes

 

In week 3 of Regional competition, Event 1 remains a strategy heavy workout with an abundance of no reps. Even after two weeks of studying the techniques used by the preceding teams, it all came down to whether or not the athletes were able to stay calm and follow through with their plans. A few teams were able to pull through the event in the earlier heats, notably USN CrossFit Eikestad’s strong performance in heat 1 put them in 7th place overall in the event with a time of 18:26.6. It was the final heat that stole the show as the teams that would take 1st through 4th were lined up in lanes 4 through 7. In this close race, the smallest inefficiencies or skills created big differences in the final placement of these teams. On some teams the men were able to watch their female counterpart to keep their paces in synch. For the teams who had that skill and strength, it proved invaluable. For teams with the smaller women, the men needed to help them up onto the bar before they could begin their pull-ups – not only was this costly in terms of time but it meant almost ten-seconds of added grip time for those female athletes. Considering the awkward deadlifts that also required a lot of grip, any additional grip time was costly. CrossFit Yas was the first team off the deadlifts in the set of 45 but fell to third coming off the pull-ups. CrossFit Fabriken was the first off the pull-ups but CrossFit Turicam stole the spotlight and the lead. Turicam, along with Fabriken and Solid, on either side, seemed to be the top three going into the round of 21-15-9. That’s when the leaderboard shifted again as Yas came flying, butterflying to be exact, through the final rounds on their chest-to-bar pull-ups. The final female/male pair for Fabriken had retaken the lead, first off the set of 9 deadlifts. However, they were a little to slow to get back on the pull-up bar and in two quick sets Yas had flown through the pull-ups and were sprinting down the arena for a first place finish at 15:01.3. CrossFit Fabriken would follow quickly after with a time of 15:12.3. CrossFit Solid at 16:03.1, and CrossFit Turicum at 16:23.7 would cross the finish line for 3rd and 4th place respectively in the event. It is clear from Event 1 that the teams that came in from the Open on top plan to keep it that way.   

 

CrossFit Yas, out of Abu Dhabi, was a relatively unknown force coming into Event 1. They have now made themselves a threat and a target going into the rest of Meridian Regional weekend. One of the male athletes spoke for CrossFit Yas and explained their plan going in the Event 1: “We knew that we had two sets of really good butterfliers on the pull-ups so we figured they would be our start and finish points. And then myself as the weakest chest-to-bar man would just try to get through that middle set with Tammy (Tamarind Robinson) somehow.” They said that the element that concerned them the most and that they practiced the most were “the chest-to-bar and the synching of it and making sure we were just on time with our contact.” Their plan paid off and showed that it’s good to know your strengths but sometimes, knowing your weaknesses is even better. 

 

Results

 

1. CrossFit Yas (15:01.3)

2. CrossFit Fabriken (15:12.3)

3. CrossFit Solid (16:03.1)

4. CrossFit Turicum (16:23.7)

5. Team CrossFit Nordic Alpha (18:13.9)

 

Event 2

 

175 snatches (75 / 55 lb.)

25 rope climbs

115 thrusters (115 / 75 lb.)

 

Time cap: 25 minutes

Athlete order: MMM then FFF

 

Event 2 left the male athletes with one goal: Get out of the way. The event had three parts, starting with an assault of 150 reps of light snatches, followed by 25 rope climbs, and closed out by 115 reps of moderately weighted thrusters for the three male athletes, the same rep scheme then followed relay style by their female teammates. The female athletes were able to start as soon as the men moved on to the rope climbs, meaning if they wanted a top time the men had to cycle through those snatches fast. After that they just needed to keep ahead of the women and stay out of their way. The women were the make-or-break factor, their speed and efficiency throughout the rope climbs a huge factor in outcome of the event.  In heat 1, Crossfit PBM gave it their all, one of their big male athletes actually lying on the floor in between his sets of thrusters. The PBM ladies didn’t let the men down, making quick work of the rope climbs and holding on to the bar as they moved through the reps of thrusters and crossing the finish line at 21:33.9. Spartan Mentality’s men calmly pushed through their part of the workout but their women tore up the floor and left every other team in heat 2 in their wake. Flying through the snatches in sets of ten, the women then went through the rope climbs in sets of two, except for one woman, according to the team, weaker at rope climbs. Her team referred her to as the “thruster machine” and she lived up to that name, flying through reps of ten on the thrusters and helping her team get a time of 20:19.5. 

 

Once again, the top five scores came from heat 3. CrossFit Solid was looking pretty, one of the men flying through his reps adorned with a flower in his hair. The flower power worked as CrossFit Solid wrapped up another 3rd place finish, leaving them in 2nd overall. CrossFit Turicum and CrossFit Reykjavik-Virtuosity also had strong performances in both events so far, putting them in 4th and 5th respectively. CrossFit Fabriken’s 12th place finish took them out of the top five but only by two points – making certain that day 2, Regional’s “Moving Day”, is going to be exciting. The leaders of Event 2, CrossFit Yas and Team CrossFit Nordic Alpha, took an early lead through the men’s efforts and the women were quick to follow in their footsteps. In an event that relies so heavily on the women it is easy to see why Yas has taken the advantage, their women placed 1st, 2nd, and 10th in the Africa Open. Yas’s women had fast transitions, good communication – telling their athletes when their reps were slowing down and they need to drop the bar, and a female who did the last 15 thrusters unbroken. These efforts led to consecutive 1st place standings in the events of day 1 and a perfect score thus far as Yas gets ready for day 2. While Nordic was unable to get the win, their 2nd place finish leaves them in 3rd overall. Interestingly, as the leaderboard stands after events 1 and 2, three of the top five teams are from Sweden. 

 

When asked what CrossFit Yas had to do going forward, they said, “We just got to go out there and give it all we got, like with no pressure on us. We’re all a really close team, like we all work together, so we’re just trying to go out there and give it everything we’ve got.” 

 

Results

 

1. CrossFit Yas (18:52)

2. Team CrossFit Nordic Alpha (19:15.6)

3. CrossFit Solid (19:32.8)

4. CrossFit Reykjavik-Virtuosity (19:58.3)

5. CrossFit Turicum (20:02)

 

Overall Standings

 

1. CrossFit Yas (200 pts)

2. CrossFit Solid (180 pts)

2. Team CrossFit Nordic Alpha (175 pts)

4. CrossFit Turicum (165 pts)

5. CrossFit Reykjavik-Virtuosity (160 pts)

 

INDIVIDUAL MEN

Photo by: CrossFit HQ
 

Event 1

 

Randy

For time:

75 snatches (75 / 55 lb.)

 

Time cap: 6 minutes

 

The heats from the Open show signs of change as the top five athletes were culled from three different heats. 

 

During the first Hero WOD, Randy, there were few signs of tension between the athletes on the floor. Jonne Koski calmly dominated the event and broke the event record with a time of 2:17.5. Koski’s fast reps and fluid technique even allowed him quick breaks between sets of 25 snatches – most athletes were unable to break if they wanted to place in the top five. While the top performance belongs to Koski in the final heat, the top places were spread throughout the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th heats. In the second heat Alec Harwood and Filip Yang Fisker put two different techniques to the test. Harwood, previously a team competitor, dropped the bar once and had faster reps while Fisker held on to the bar, keeping a steady, albeit slower pace. In this case, Harwood would finish first at 2:34.7 while Fisker finished at 2:45. They would take 2nd and 3rd overall in the event. In heat 3 Mikko Aronpää would use a narrow grip technique, coming in with a time of 2:47.9 and a 4th place finish overall. In the final event there was a bit of a wait between Koski and the next finisher Jason Smith and the tidal wave of athletes that finished on his heels. Smith’s time of 2:49.9 still warranted a 5th place finish. 

 

Jonne Koski says, “I went all out. That was the plan. I went through it a couple of time and I knew I could go fast. That was like surprisingly fast, like 10 or 15 seconds faster then back at home, so yeah, I’m happy.” 

Results

 

1. Jonne Koski (2:17.5)

2. Alec Harwood (2:34.7)

3. Filip Yang Fisker (2:45)

4. Mikko Aronpää (2:47.9)

5. Jason Smith (2:49.9)

 

Event 2

 

Tommy V

 

For time:

21 thrusters

12 rope climbs

15 thrusters

9 rope climbs

9 thrusters

6 rope climbs

 

M 115-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

F 75-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

 

Time cap: 16 minutes

 

A new face has emerged from the Meridian Regional on day 1 as Jonne Koski has two consecutive first place finishes in two very different events. 

 

In the second Hero WOD of the day, the thrusters were barely noticed by athletes and audience alike as all were focused on the daunting 27 rope climbs. Even the best athletes found themselves hunched over in a physical and mental altercation with a 15’ rope. The top athletes were the ones who were able to push all of the pain and doubt aside and get back on the rope.

 

From heat 2, Justin Ahrens found himself alone on the floor taking on the last set of nine thrusters and making quick work of five rope climbs – sparing the briefest of glances at his tortured hands before he got back on the rope for the sixth and final ascent. He took first in his heat with a time of 9:09. However, that time would not last long as Phil Hesketh and Will Kane would star in a two-man race in heat 3. Both would take short breaks from the rope, Kane’s quick sliding descent aided him, while Hesketh’s consistent two-pull ascents that allowed him to maintain a great pace on the rope climbs. In the end Hesketh would beat Kane in a foot race with a time of 8:09.8, Kane at 8:10.9. The effort was clear as the two athletes laid prostrated on their matts at the end of the workout but the effort earned them a 3rd place and 4th place respectively. Mikko Aropää, who had so much success in Event 1, took too long between rope climbs – caught staring at the rope – and it cost him his position in the top ten.  

 

In the final heat, the athletes all almost simultaneously moved from the thrusters to the rope climbs. Once there, the separation became clear. In the center lanes, Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson, Steven Fawcett, Jonne Koski, and Frederik Aegidus were center stage and quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field. Stefano Migliorini started out with a blazing pace but by the end his grip would go. Migliorini would get stuck in limbo on the rope, unable to pull himself up and, on one attempt, would even come crashing back down. Grip gone, Migliorini would have to watch his fellow athletes fly across the arena in front of him – unable to finish his final rope climbs. While he would fall to 11th in the event, it would be just enough to keep him in the top ten and more importantly, the final heat for day 2.  Gudmundsson, a Games veteran, quickly showed his experience, maintaining his pace and never going to failure. He would come in with a fast time of 8:06.8 but it wasn’t fast enough to deal with twenty year-old Jonne Koski, who proved to be an unstoppable force today. Koski kept it smooth on the rope climbs and kept his time off the rope to an absolute minimum. He looked disturbingly comfortable as he ran to the finish line with a time of 7:46.3.  Other than Koski’s perfect score to this point, the other athletes are all in easy range of one another, making for a significant “moving day” as the athletes prepare for day 2. 

 

Koski said of Event 2, “I knew this wasn’t the best for me and I definitely wanted to get it over with, this event. Now it’s done and I’m pretty happy with how it’s done.” Discussing his strategy on the rope climbs, Koski said, “I tried to aim to keep these 3 to 5 second pauses, sometimes it might be a bit faster and sometimes a bit slower but still, I tried to keep on moving all the time and it helps. On the last ones I could feel my forearms sore and tired, it was really hard to climb the last ropes.” As for tomorrow, “Tomorrow is a new day and everything can happen so just need to focus on every event as one event and just go for it.” 

Results

 

1. Jonne Koski (7:46.3)

2. Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson (8:06.8)

3. Phil Hesketh (8:09.8)

4. Will Kane (8:10.9)

5. Steven Fawcett (8:31)

 

Overall Standings

 

1. Jonne Koski (200 pts)

2. Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson (170 pts)

3. Phil Hesketh (151 pts)

4. Frederik Aegidus (146 pts)

5. Steven Fawcett (145 pts)

 

INDIVIDUAL WOMEN

Photo by: CrossFit HQ
 

Event 1

 

Randy

For time:

75 snatches (75 / 55 lb.)

 

Time cap: 6 minutes

 

No surprises here as favorite Annie Thorisdottir takes the first event and Ragnheiõur Sara Sigmundsdottir finishes less than a second behind her. 

 

Becky Bycket led the early heats with a time of 2:56.2 but in heat three, Carmen Bosmans cycled through those snatches. Even with some costly no reps and a jog to the finish line, Bosman was able to beat Bycket’s time by three tenths of a second at 2:55.9. However, the top five times would all be found in the final heat. Thorisdottir and Sigmundsdottir went rep for rep during the event. Thorisdottir put the bar down as she transitioned from one set of 25 to the next but she quickly made up for lost time through the speed of her reps. The hands of both judges shot up at the same time, signaling the final five reps but Thorisdottir put the bar down a moment before Sigmundsdottir and it turned into a foot race. Annie Thorisdottir crossed the finish line at 2:29.1 - Ragnheidur Sara Sigmundsdottir at 2:29.5, signifying the start of a very competitive weekend. Kristin Holte came in third at 2:31.8, Bjork Odinsdottir came in fourth at 2:36.8, and in fifth was Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir at 2:36.8. Taking three of the top five spots in the event, Iceland’s female athletes are making it clear that they are a force to be reckoned with. 

 

Annie Thorisdottir says of competing next to Sigmundsdottir, “It made me change my plan. I was going to do 25 unbroken and drop, 25 and drop, and I did that.  But then I was going to do 15 and drop and 10… but I couldn’t! I had to keep on going. So now my grip is done. I wanted to win this, so I’m very happy that I did. It’s a good start to the weekend. I’m just excited to be here and not have any injuries. Now it’s just about seeing what my training has done, performing as well as I can, and hopefully no mistakes.” 

 

Results

 

1. Annie Thorisdottir (2:29.1)

2. Ragnheidur Sara Sigmundsdottir (2:29.5)

3. Kristin Holte (2:31.8)

4. Bjork Odinsdottir (2:36.8)

5. Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir (2:53.8)

 

Event 2

 

Tommy V

 

For time:

21 thrusters

12 rope climbs

15 thrusters

9 rope climbs

9 thrusters

6 rope climbs

 

M 115-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

F 75-lb. thrusters, 15-ft. rope

 

Time cap: 16 minutes

 

 

Sometimes in CrossFit it is not about other athletes pushing you but your ability to push yourself. That is what Mikaela Norman was forced to do in heat 2 as she pushed past the athletes in her heat and had to complete Tommy V by herself. She proved her mental and physical prowess as she kept to her game plan and finished this Hero workout in 8:29.3. Norman would have to wait over four minutes before she got any company on the other side of the finish line. No one would come near Mikaela Norman’s time in the next two heats. It would be a battle for second. This first place finish is exactly what Norman needed to temper her 22nd finish in Event 1, putting her in the top ten going in to tomorrow’s events. 

 

In heat three, Carmen Bosmans took the heat with 11:45.5. While that would not be enough for a top five finish it would be enough to put her in sixth place and on the bubble going in to day 2. The final heat started as a competition between RagnheiÃ…ur Sara Sigmundsdottir, Kristin Holte, and Thuridur Erla Helgadottir.  After the set of 15 thrusters, Holte was in the lead but as they got off the rope climbs Helgadottir had taken in back. Helgadottir’s quick breaks made all the difference; quite a few times she didn’t even take her hands off the rope. It came down to the last six rope climbs and Helgadottir refused to let up, taking first in the heat and second overall with a time of 9:04.6. This first place finish gave Helgadottir a 4th place position on the leaderboard going in to day 2. Holte followed her in with a time of 9:23.9, good enough for 3rd place in the event and 3rd place on the leaderboard. Ragnheidur Sara Sigmundsdottir’s fourth place finish would keep her in second, as Annie Thorisdottir’s fifth place finish would keep her in 1st - for now.

 

At the end of day 1, Annie Thorisdottir, Ragnheidur Sara Sigmundsdottir, and Kristin Holte are all tied with 180 points each; they are only differentiated by their standings in the events so far. This means that the podium is up for grabs going in to the next five events. As for the fourth and fifth positions, Thuridur Erla Helgadottir and Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir are going to have their work cut out for them as they try to fend off Carmen Bosmans, who was consistent all day and is looking to earn a trip to the Games. 

 

In an interview after Event 2, Thuridur Erla Helgadottir said of her strategy on the rope climbs, “My strategy was three breaths between rope climbs and I held that the entire time so my plan worked out.” In regards to her 4th place overall on day 1, she said, “My goal was top ten so I’m really happy.”

 

Results

 

1. Mikaela Norman (8:29.3)

2. Thuridur Erla Helgadottir (9:04.6)

3. Kristin Holte (9:23.9)

4. Ragnheidur Sara Sigmundsdottir (9:33.7)

5. Annie Thorisdottir (10:23)

 

Overall Standings

 

1. Annie Thorisdottir (180 pts)

2. Ragnheidur Sara Sigmundsdottir (180 pts)

3. Kristin Holte (180 pts)

4. Thuridur Erla Helgadottir (166 pts)

5. Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir (155 pts)

Related Article:
2015 Central Regional Recap: Day 1