Coming into the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Invitational, the Pacific Team had never ended up better than third (out of four) after one of the sport’s annual all-star events. But this year — competing for the title on home soil, the first time the competition had ever been held in the Southern hemisphere — the Pacific’s roster was simply too packed full of talent to be denied for another year. Having the first and second place female Individual finishers from the CrossFit Games is, understandably, a massive advantage.
The Pacific Team — made up of Tia Clair-Toomey, Kara Webb, Rob Forte, and James Newbury — emerged victorious after five events, winning three on their way to a commanding performance over second-place finisher Canada.
The final standings are below:
1. Pacific — 26 Points
2. Canada — 19 Points
3. USA — 10 Points
4. Europe — 8 Points
Archived footage of the full event is embedded below, courtesy of The CrossFit Games on Facebook.
The event took place in front of a packed crowd at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena. The defending European champions spent much of their preparation leading up to the event without team member Sara Sigmundsdottir, who was recovering from illness.
Over events that featured team worm cleans, synchronized bar muscle-ups, and partner tire flips, the Aussies showcased their preparation and timing, moving beautifully in-sync where it counted while other teams — notably the United States, which had only Kari Pearce competing as an Invitational veteran — stumbled out of contention before the final event.
By Event 5, it was practically a two-team race between Canada and Pacific, with the Pacific needing a top-2 finish on the event to guarantee their first title. In a show fitting of their dominating Sunday performance, they blasted through the 21-15-9 couplet of worm thrusters and burpees nearly a minute faster than any other squad.
And with chants of “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!” filling the arena, the Pacific Team secured the title for the first and likely not last time.
Featured image courtesy of The CrossFit Games on Facebook
