"It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog." Mark Twain may as well have been talking about the CrossFit Games.

Every sport has underdogs, and CrossFit is no different. Whether they're looking for redemption or are on the cusp of making it, these athletes are in it to win it regardless of popular opinion. Here are the biggest underdogs from the first weekend of Regionals.

Central

Saxon Panchik

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The younger brother of Games veteran and consistently high-performing competitor Scott Panchik made his Regionals debut in 2015. He finished the weekend in 23rd place, but he’s put in a lot of work since then. This year, he finished the Open ninth in the Central East region, above 2010 CrossFit Games Champion Graham Holmberg and two-time Games athlete Nicholas Urankar.

Jennifer Smith

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Smith competed in the 2013 CrossFit Games, but has not returned to Carson since. In 2014, she took fifth and missed the trip by two places, then finished sixth in 2015 and missed by one place. This year, we saw her throw down at Wodapaloooza with Chyna Cho and Cassidy Lance (among a couple other competitions), hang out at the Reebok Athlete Summit, and put in some work with Brooke Wells and Nicole Holcomb at Hyperfit USA’s Regional Prep Camp. She’s ready to go.

East

Nick Delgrande

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Delgrande has competed at Regionals multiple times with a career-high ninth-place finish at the 2015 East Regional. Delgrande has certainly put in the work this year, including sessions with future Games athlete Chandler Smith. If a man’s training partners are indicative of his abilities, Delgrande is going to have an incredible year.

Chelsey Hughes

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Hughes has competed at the Games in the past with Brick CrossFit’s team, and she’s no slouch when it comes to individual competition. She’s made the rounds at multiple fitness competitions and is only improving. Her size and skill set translate well to the strict and high-volume gymnastic movements. Though she’s not the strongest athlete, she won’t be sunk by either of the heavy events.

Meridian

Maria Akerlund

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Akerlund competed at the CrossFit Games in 2015 as part of CrossFit Fabriken’s Team. After a move to Dubai to pursue a full-time coaching position at InnerFight CrossFit DXB, Akerlund stepped up her training and is ready to take on the individual competition. With training partners like Carmen Bosmans, Akerlund will be one to watch this weekend.

Jason Smith

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Smith is the owner of Crossfit Kyalami in South Africa. He finished 10th at the Meridian Regionals in 2015. He goes into Regionals this year ranked first, ahead of Games athletes like Gudmundsson. With Phil Hesketh out of the competition with a fractured hand, Smith will look to represent Africa this weekend in Madrid.