2016 Reebok CrossFit Games Regionals

Men's Regional Darkhorses: Who To Watch Out For

Men's Regional Darkhorses: Who To Watch Out For

On the road to the CrossFit Games, there are seasoned competitors who we expect to qualify, and then there are dark horses, those mystical creatures that e

Apr 21, 2016 by Armen Hammer
Men's Regional Darkhorses: Who To Watch Out For
On the road to the CrossFit Games, there are seasoned competitors who we expect to qualify, and then there are dark horses, those mystical creatures that emerge from obscurity for a shot at glory.

These are the guys looking to shake things up at Regionals this year:

Zak Carchedi


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He’s heading to the Central Regional only one place behind his training partner and repeat Games athlete Jacob Heppner. He moved to Kansas City, Kansas, to train with his “wolf pack,” Andrew Kuechler and Jacob Heppner. Now, they are heading to Regionals after all three men placed in the top five in the North Central Open.

Brent Fikowski


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He placed first in Canada West and 25th in the world prior to entering in the West Regional. Fikowski admits he has “become very good at almost making the Games.” If he continues to perform at the level he did throughout the Open, he might have to change his Instagram hashtags from the #thewhitestdarkhorse to #thewhitestgamescompetitor.

Kyle Frankenfeld


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He made it to Regionals in 2015, but holes in his game (i.e., snatch and chest-to-bar pull-ups) left him two spots out of the qualifying position for the Games. This year, Frankenfeld is entering the Pacific Regionals in first place from the Australia Open. In addition to winning 16.3 worldwide, his scores would have put him in first place in the Asia Open, the other group of athletes in the Pacific region.

Andrey Ganin


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The top score for 16.3 was a tie of 143 reps between Frankenfeld and Ganin. While the women of Europe tend to dominate the conversation and the scoreboards, Ganin is not to be overlooked. Ganin went from 102nd place in the 2015 Open to second place in 2016—whatever he’s doing, it’s working. He is definitely someone to watch in the Meridian Regional.

Rasmus Wisbech Anderson


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Invictus athlete Anderson will make his second individual appearance at Regionals this year. After placing first in the Southern California Open in 2015, he was unable to make it out of the state’s Regionals after notching an eighth-place finish. This year, he’s entering Regionals with a second-place finish in Southern California and as 12th in the world to try to get past the Games-friendly faces of Dan Bailey, Josh Bridges, and Christian Lucero, to name a few.

Nuno Costa


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After a fourth-place finish in the Open, Costa will make his first individual appearance at Regionals this year. Costa might be a dark horse, but he is certainly not an underdog; he is a familiar face at Regionals and the Games as a member of team Invictus. He and Anderson will  make getting past the California Regional a lot tougher.

Reporting contributed by Karen Feiner