https://www.scmp.com/rss/501359/feed Brian Friend is an American CrossFit coach who also works as an analyst, writer, broadcast coordinator and consultant for the sport. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com At the conclusion of the 2021 CrossFit Games three things happened. Tia-Clair Toomey won her fifth consecutive CrossFit Games, matching Mat Fraser’s wins, and consecutive wins, total. And Toomey completed her seventh straight CrossFit Games, matching Fraser’s total. In addition to each of their five titles, they began their careers with back-to-back runner-up finishes. Then Dave Castro announced Toomey as the “most dominant CrossFit athlete of all time”, which on the surface could be true, but... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3147754/mat-fraser-vs-tia-clair-toomey-who-greatest-crossfit-athlete?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3147754/mat-fraser-vs-tia-clair-toomey-who-greatest-crossfit-athlete?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Sep 2021 12:00:24 +0000 Let’s just cut to the chase. Tia-Clair Toomey is poised to claim her fifth consecutive CrossFit Games title as “Fittest Women on Earth”. There is nothing about her competition history, her season thus far, or any emerging competitor that suggests otherwise. But who are the candidates most likely to join her on the podium at this year’s NOBULL CrossFit Games (July 27-August 1), and why are there are up to 11 women who could fit that bill? Annie Thorisdottir, Kara Saunders, Katrin Davidsdottir,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3141628/2021-crossfit-games-tia-clair-toomey-poised-fifth-title-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3141628/2021-crossfit-games-tia-clair-toomey-poised-fifth-title-who?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 11:00:19 +0000 For the first time in ages, the men’s competition at the CrossFit Games is wide open. Five-time champion Mat Fraser retired this year and nearly every male at the top of the sport immediately saw the opportunity they’ve been waiting for. We now have the entire roster of 40 men who have qualified for the July 27-August 1 showdown, but being objective as possible, there are only four contenders for the crown. In February, I identified seven men who could win. Six of those have advanced to the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3141318/2021-crossfit-games-four-men-who-could-succeed-mat-fraser?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3141318/2021-crossfit-games-four-men-who-could-succeed-mat-fraser?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jul 2021 12:00:15 +0000 Chandler Smith caught the attention of the CrossFit world at the Atlantic Regionals in 2016 during Event Five, a triplet of running on a Tru Form runner, GHD sit-ups and dead lifts at 405 pounds. Defending CrossFit Games champion Ben Smith set the pace as athletes entered the final round, but Chandler Smith did everything in his power to chase him down. He ripped 405 off the ground seven times in under 10 seconds and finished just three seconds behind Ben. Chandler Smith did not make the Games... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3135500/granite-games-chandler-smiths-moment-send-message-heading?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3135500/granite-games-chandler-smiths-moment-send-message-heading?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jun 2021 12:00:08 +0000 As part of the revamped 2021 CrossFit Games season, the third stage for individual and team athletes is the brand new semi-finals. In total, 38 men, 38 women and 38 teams will advance from their respective competitions to the CrossFit Games at the end of July. There are a total of 10 semi-finals taking place around the world over the course of four weeks. Due to various restrictions on the ability to host live events and travel, half of those will take place virtually. The number of qualifiers... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3134646/semi-finals-set-stage-2021-crossfit-games-half-10-events-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3134646/semi-finals-set-stage-2021-crossfit-games-half-10-events-are?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 May 2021 13:45:13 +0000 In case the name Haley Adams isn’t familiar to you, the most important things to know about her are that she is only 20 years-old, and she’s coming off two back-to-back top 10 finishes in her first two seasons at the CrossFit Games. She’s currently 33rd place in North America heading into the semi-finals, and no one is talking much about her. But don’t let her overall placement fool you, she had a world class quarter-final performance. Her results for the first three tests of quarter-finals were... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3131530/crossfit-20-year-old-haley-adams-ready-leave-mark-2021?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3131530/crossfit-20-year-old-haley-adams-ready-leave-mark-2021?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Apr 2021 14:00:10 +0000 Canadian Jeffrey Adler started working with his coach (and partner) Caroline Lambray in 2015. Their goals and strategies have seemingly always aligned, and unlike others who came into the sport around that same time, they have seemingly always taken the long-term view: trusting that building a strong foundation and playing the long game would eventually pay off. Given Adler’s recent accomplishments, it’s easy to say it has. Although the relevance of the CrossFit Open has changed (several times)... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3128714/crossfit-jeffrey-adler-podium-bound-2021-games-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3128714/crossfit-jeffrey-adler-podium-bound-2021-games-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Apr 2021 00:00:12 +0000 I am not a competitive CrossFit athlete but I do compete occasionally, and you should too. The last time I did an individual competition was in the summer of 2018. This past autumn I took part in a small local coed partner competition. And every year for the past seven years, I’ve done the CrossFit Open, and I’ll do it again this year. Let me tell you why. First, to challenge myself, against myself. Your first thought might be that I’m talking about the leader board, but that would be incorrect.... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3125021/crossfit-open-compete-against-yourself-and-dont-worry-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3125021/crossfit-open-compete-against-yourself-and-dont-worry-about?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Mar 2021 12:00:05 +0000 With the retirement of five-time “Fittest Man on Earth” Mat Fraser, there has been little attention given to the women’s competition as the 2021 CrossFit Open draws closer. Perhaps that’s because there is an equally dominant force in four-time defending champion Tia-Clair Toomey. The Australian’s performance at the 2020 Games would likely have been the most dominating we had ever seen if not for Fraser outperforming her (he had one more event win, accumulated 125 more points, and had a margin of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3123044/crossfit-tia-clair-toomey-and-10-women-who-could-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3123044/crossfit-tia-clair-toomey-and-10-women-who-could-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Feb 2021 11:00:16 +0000 With the retirement of five-time reigning “Fittest Man On Earth” Mat Fraser, there is a massive vacancy at the top of the CrossFit Games podium. It’s easy to throw names around, but today, we’re looking at numbers. Who are the contenders? We have identified 22 men who fit certain criteria, analysed their competitive histories and stacked them up against each other. We have seven previous podium finishers: Ben Smith (four), Pat Vellner (three), Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson (two), and Noah Ohlsen,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3121774/crossfit-seven-men-who-could-win-2021-games-statistically?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3121774/crossfit-seven-men-who-could-win-2021-games-statistically?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Feb 2021 01:00:19 +0000 In 2016, I went to Carson in California to watch the CrossFit Games for the first time. In a stroke of luck, we had seats in the front row to witness the beginning of the most dominant era in the sport. Many will remember the famous call by Sean Woodland during the Suicide Sprint on Sunday morning of “What cannot this man do?” as the stand-out moment from that weekend for Fraser. We watched Fraser finish every workout directly in front of us. In what is one of the more controversial events in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3120334/crossfit-retiring-mat-fraser-showed-us-how-be-games-champion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3120334/crossfit-retiring-mat-fraser-showed-us-how-be-games-champion?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Feb 2021 06:30:13 +0000 As many have been hoping for, CrossFit headquarters has released this season’s rule book in a rather timely fashion. As always, there is a ton of information to sift through. The first question people have been asking is, what are the continents? The first stage of competition will once again be the Open. This year, however, it is the continent you represent, based on your citizenship not your residency, that will serve as the funnelling process into the second stage of competition. The... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3116905/crossfit-what-can-we-expect-era-eric-roza-latest-rule-book?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3116905/crossfit-what-can-we-expect-era-eric-roza-latest-rule-book?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Jan 2021 05:19:58 +0000 In mid-December, CrossFit headquarters released a skeleton of what the new CrossFit Games format looks like and first off is the 2021 CrossFit Open. New CrossFit owner Eric Roza has been talking about the resurgence of the Open since he took over and the goal is to have half a million participants register. It seems a couple of changes in particular could help them reach that goal. The Open had been advertised as starting on February 18, which has now been pushed back to March 11. It has always... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3114874/crossfit-2021-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3114874/crossfit-2021-what-we-know-and-what-we-dont?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Dec 2020 00:00:18 +0000 There’s been a lot of talk about the five men and five women who competed in the 2020 CrossFit Games, but not much has been said about the effectiveness of having a field that small, a scoring system with such big point jumps, and whether this format accomplished what it was supposed to. From a logistical perspective you would think the small field frees Dave Castro and his crew to be more imaginative and creative with the programming. However, according to Castro, the test we saw in Aromas,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3107773/crossfit-games-2020-did-five-athlete-three-day-format?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3107773/crossfit-games-2020-did-five-athlete-three-day-format?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Oct 2020 10:00:11 +0000 Everyone likes to win, but this is different. Mat Fraser decimated the rest of the competitive fitness landscape at the 2020 CrossFit Games and set a standard beyond anything we’ve seen before in the sport. When Fraser first won the Games in 2016 he opened the weekend with an event win (ironically enough it was the Ranch Trail Run), but that would be the only event win for him on his way to securing his first title of “Fittest on Earth.” Notably, he finished second seven times that weekend. The... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3107038/crossfit-games-2020-mat-fraser-shows-just-how-dominating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3107038/crossfit-games-2020-mat-fraser-shows-just-how-dominating?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Oct 2020 22:59:22 +0000 In three-day competitions it’s typically the middle day that brings the most drama. With the new structure of this year’s CrossFit Games, that moving day feeling was even greater, but for no one was it more crucial than Jeffrey Adler. Canada’s national champion hasn’t been a staple at the top of CrossFit by any means. While compatriots Patrick Vellner and Brent Fikowksi were putting the men on the map with regular top five and podium finishes at the Games in 2016-2018, Adler was slowly building... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3106981/crossfit-games-2020-jeffrey-adler-emerging-star-methodical?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3106981/crossfit-games-2020-jeffrey-adler-emerging-star-methodical?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Oct 2020 02:22:20 +0000 Finally the 2020 season, which began over a year ago, has arrived at its final stage and we will soon see who wins the titles in what has easily been the strangest CrossFit season ever. In a season that was supposed to have nearly 30 Sanctionals and saw more than half of them cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is refreshing that we finally have a live competition to watch. The five fittest men and women began their pursuit to stand atop the podium and call themselves “Fittest on Earth”,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3106908/crossfit-games-2020-mat-fraser-and-tia-clair-toomey-dominate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3106908/crossfit-games-2020-mat-fraser-and-tia-clair-toomey-dominate?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Oct 2020 02:19:21 +0000 Mat Fraser and Noah Ohlsen have their eyes set on Aromas with hopes of repeating their accomplishments from last year as the fittest and second fittest man on earth. Their chances of doing so are very good. But there will be a third man who stands on the podium when the 2020 CrossFit Games finally come to an end on October 25. That third man, or potentially more if there are massive upsets, will be standing on the Games podium for the first time. The list has been whittled down to just three:... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3104683/crossfit-games-2020-who-has-best-podium-chance-samuel-kwant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3104683/crossfit-games-2020-who-has-best-podium-chance-samuel-kwant?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2020 00:00:17 +0000 On the heels of the online leg of the 2020 CrossFit Games and in anticipation of the live competition in Aromas, we know an American woman will claim at least one podium spot for the first time since Julie Foucher placed third in 2014. Brooke Wells, Haley Adams and Kari Pearce represent three of the top five women who have advanced to the final stage of this year’s quest to find the “Fittest on Earth”. For a sport born in the United States, it’s been rather unexpected that American women have... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3103800/2020-crossfit-games-how-many-american-women-can-get-podium?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3103800/2020-crossfit-games-how-many-american-women-can-get-podium?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2020 02:00:14 +0000 An initial announcement came out of CrossFit headquarters on August 7 telling the community of a new, two-part, Games format for this year only. Five days later, dates and a little more information were released. What we know is the first component of this year’s CrossFit Games will take place online. This has become a necessity due to travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic for many international athletes, and a continued limit on large gatherings in California, the site of the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3097963/crossfit-does-new-online-games-format-and-person-finals-give?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3097963/crossfit-does-new-online-games-format-and-person-finals-give?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Aug 2020 14:00:12 +0000 In many parts of the world people are returning to some sort of normalcy and for the sport of CrossFit that’s happening in the form of the Rogue Invitational this weekend. CrossFit has a chance to write a fresh chapter, hosting its first competition after Greg Glassman stepped down from CrossFit Inc. amid a swirl of controversy, and has been replaced by Dave Castro, the director of the CrossFit Games. On June 13-14, 18 men and 18 women will compete in the first CrossFit competition since the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3088565/crossfit-rogue-invitational-kicks-weekend-star-power-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3088565/crossfit-rogue-invitational-kicks-weekend-star-power-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2020 12:00:18 +0000 Rich Froning is arguably the “fittest man in history”. There’s a documentary titled as such from his record-setting fourth consecutive CrossFit Games win in 2014. That year Mat Fraser, as a rookie, took second. Since then, Fraser’s resume is impressive enough to demand a conversation about which of the two four-time champions is the “fittest in history”. Following the 2014 Games, Froning retired from individual competition and has since been competing on the team side of things. What is a little... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3086118/rich-froning-better-team-athlete-individual-sporting-icon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3086118/rich-froning-better-team-athlete-individual-sporting-icon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2020 02:00:17 +0000 On Saturday, CrossFit released some news that many of us in the space had been expecting, and yet the details of the pending announcement were mere speculation until now. The cancellation of the team competition for this year came as a surprise to no one. In fact, many of the teams who had qualified had already begun making arrangements for an opportunity to compete this summer independently of CrossFit headquarter’s decision. More importantly, as a part of CrossFit’s announcement they made it... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3083773/crossfit-games-2020-field-cut-drastically-30-no-team?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3083773/crossfit-games-2020-field-cut-drastically-30-no-team?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2020 05:46:45 +0000 It was only a matter of time before CrossFit headquarters was forced to make the announcement everyone saw coming. After Dave Castro, director of the CrossFit Games, was featured on an episode of Talking Elite Fitness declaring the likelihood of a postponement, cancellation, or possibly even an online version of the Games, I started projecting possibilities for each. Today we got a statement from CrossFit explaining their plans: “We remain fully committed to planning a live competition with live... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3080324/crossfit-games-2020-without-live-competitions-during-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3080324/crossfit-games-2020-without-live-competitions-during-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2020 01:42:37 +0000 When Rich Froning retired from individual competition following his fourth consecutive individual title at the 2014 CrossFit Games it was the end of an era. However, his decision to continue competing, in the team format, simply meant the dawn of a different era for the sport’s superstar. In 2015 the team competition was much different than what we’re used to today. Back then teams were composed of six members, three men and three women, as opposed to the four person format we have now.... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3074658/crossfit-games-rich-fronings-mayhem-freedom-look-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3074658/crossfit-games-rich-fronings-mayhem-freedom-look-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2020 00:00:17 +0000 Arguably one of the biggest Sanctionals of the CrossFit season, Miami’s 2020 Wodapalooza is also poised to be the premier display of talent before August’s 2020 CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin. A field of about 40 competitors, most of whom have significant experience, will be joined by a few up-and-comers looking to make their mark from February 20-23. There are no cuts, or a skewed scoring system, and the field is large enough that every placing in every event matters. There will be a lot... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3050978/tia-clair-toomey-vs-sara-sigmundsdottir-has-fans-salivating?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3050978/tia-clair-toomey-vs-sara-sigmundsdottir-has-fans-salivating?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:00:16 +0000 Earlier this month, the 2020 Open officially came to a close as video reviews were completed and invitations to the CrossFit Games were sent out. With the shift to a much-larger Games field than last season, we get the opportunity to see athletes who have been on the cusp of making it for years, finally breaking through as either national champions or top-20 qualifiers. Here we highlight four athletes for whom it’s been a long time coming, and after years of committed work have finally punched... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3046184/2020-crossfit-games-four-athletes-who-finally-qualified?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3046184/2020-crossfit-games-four-athletes-who-finally-qualified?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2020 00:00:21 +0000 Last year, the women’s competition at the Dubai CrossFit Championship (DCC) was one of the most tightly contested individual battles the sport has seen. Four women were in position to win with only one event remaining. All four are back for DCC 2019. But there’s also a new competitor who might just spoil it for them. Samantha Briggs, 37, 2013 Fittest on Earth, was the eventual champion of the DCC 2018. Jamie Greene, 28, did everything she could to hang tough, but ultimately settled for second.... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3041564/dubai-crossfit-championship-can-sigmundsdottir-and-briggs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3041564/dubai-crossfit-championship-can-sigmundsdottir-and-briggs?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2019 05:00:19 +0000 For CrossFit fans, Christmas is coming early this year. The final Sanctional of 2019 will be the Dubai CrossFit Championship (December 11-14). Following that we’ll have a bit of a break for the holidays until the Sanctionals season picks up again in January. In the meantime, for fans of competitive CrossFit the DCC is like presents arriving early as the field is full of stars and should make for an exciting event. Of the 30 individual men and 26 women competing in Dubai over half the field have... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3040414/who-going-win-dubai-crossfit-championship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3040414/who-going-win-dubai-crossfit-championship?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2019 01:00:14 +0000 All five CrossFit Open workouts are completed and while we will have to wait patiently for the video review process before knowing the final standings and subsequent qualifications, we will not have to wait long for the Sanctionals season to get under way. The competitive CrossFit community turns its eyes to Dublin, Ireland, with the Filthy 150 to kick off a Sanctionals season on Friday (November 22) that has been expanded to include 28 competitions over the course of seven months. As the length... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3038393/can-crossfit-sustain-such-heavy-sanctionals-calendar-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3038393/can-crossfit-sustain-such-heavy-sanctionals-calendar-season?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2019 07:29:54 +0000 The final week of the 2020 CrossFit Open is upon us. Through four weeks, we’ve had a couplet, a triplet and a repeat. We’ve gone light and we’ve gone heavy. We’ve (mostly) gone long and we’ve had two new movements this year (dumbbell thrusters and pistols). Considering everything we’ve already seen, we have a pretty good idea of what remains and therefore what we can expect for 20.5. Historically, the final week brings us the same thing every year: the barbell thruster. It has shown up in the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3036551/crossfit-205-preview-and-predictions-vellner-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3036551/crossfit-205-preview-and-predictions-vellner-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Nov 2019 07:29:12 +0000 One down, four to go. With CrossFit Open workout 20.1 behind us, the CrossFit world is shifting its focus to 20.2. A question that is surely ripe in your box and community this week is what movements are we going to see? Historically speaking, the first Open workout was most likely to include a couplet of snatches and burpees, which is (sort of) what we got. If we use history as our guide, week two of the Open is most likely to include either toes to bar or barbell cleans, both of which have... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3033314/crossfit-open-202-workout-and-khan-porter-vs-matt-mcleod?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3033314/crossfit-open-202-workout-and-khan-porter-vs-matt-mcleod?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2019 12:00:13 +0000 When the CrossFit Open was first introduced in 2011, an entirely new era of competitive fitness was born. Now, what had once been a local throw-down event at someone’s ranch in California, has become a platform in which people from anywhere in the world can participate, compete, and compare themselves with peers, rivals, and the world’s best. The barrier to entry was, and continues to be, very low with the entry fee only US$20. Participants are allowed to do the workouts anywhere they have the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3031097/2020-crossfit-open-what-expect-new-fall-schedule-which?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3031097/2020-crossfit-open-what-expect-new-fall-schedule-which?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Oct 2019 06:52:50 +0000 In a sport in which we often see many similar names and familiar faces clambering to the top of the leaderboard, it may be surprising to learn just how impressive rookies have been at the CrossFit Games in recent years. Since 2014, at least one rookie has stood on the podium every year. In 2018 Laura Horvath finished second in the women’s competition; in 2017 Ricky Garard came third (although he had his medal stripped for doping); and Canadian Patrick Vellner came third in 2016. With the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3020598/crossfit-games-2019-four-rookies-who-could-steal-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3020598/crossfit-games-2019-four-rookies-who-could-steal-show?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2019 05:29:38 +0000 The 2019 CrossFit Games season has been full of uncertainty from the onset. From the inclusion of national champions, to the birth of Sanctionals, or to the fact that the season began before the rules were all known. Regardless, we are now staring down a CrossFit Games that is more uncertain than any Games in nearly a decade. Information is at a premium, but slowly CrossFit has been letting more and more be known through unpublicised means. Without a major announcement of any kind (other than... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3020191/whats-deal-cuts-and-scoring-2019-crossfit-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3020191/whats-deal-cuts-and-scoring-2019-crossfit-games?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2019 01:00:10 +0000 For a sport synonymous with being unknown and unknowable, the seasons and competitive landscape had become a little stale in recent years. A five-week online competition in February-March, a six- or seven-event competition on a familiar, predictable Regional floor in May, all culminating with a 13-15 event throwdown known as the CrossFit Games in the first week of August. Yes, there were small deviations. Would the Open feature a one rep maximum? Would your Regional be the first, second or third... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3018596/are-crossfit-games-primed-upset-mens-podium-could-americans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3018596/are-crossfit-games-primed-upset-mens-podium-could-americans?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2019 05:02:13 +0000 When someone hears the term CrossFit these days, it’s rather easy to equate it with muscular men and sports-bra clad women. For those who take the time to delve deeper into what CrossFit is about in the long run (being healthy and fit well into old age) there can be an entirely new perspective. We’re less than a month from the 2019 CrossFit Games. This is the 13th consecutive year very fit individuals from around the world will come together to decide who among them is the fittest. As the Games... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3017657/lynne-knapman-and-william-powell-59-year-old-masters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3017657/lynne-knapman-and-william-powell-59-year-old-masters?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2019 08:47:04 +0000 One of the most storied legends in CrossFit is the arrival, dominance and fame surrounding the Icelandic women of the sport. When Annie Thorisdottir arrived in Aromas, California for the 2009 CrossFit Games she likely had no idea how much influence her presence would have on the growth of the sport in her home country, across Europe and around the world. When she took second place at the 2010 CrossFit Games she began an era that has seen at least one Icelandic woman on the podium every year... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3016864/crossfit-games-finally-sara-sigmundsdottirs-year-icelandic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/crossfit/article/3016864/crossfit-games-finally-sara-sigmundsdottirs-year-icelandic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jul 2019 02:03:36 +0000