The Dubai Fitness Championship, one of the largest offseason competitions of the year, took place last weekend and featured 30 men and 30 women facing off in Dubai, U.A.E.
- As is the case every year, this competition showcases athletes throughout the world, challenging them in unique ways through the programming and memorable events that incorporate the culture and stunning landscape of Dubai.
This year was no different, as athletes took part in nine events over the course of three days, involving an obstacle course, heavy lifts, sprints, and views of the city and its surroundings.
Day One
The annual competition began with Event 1 being held on the 50th floor of the Palm Tower.
High above the city, overlooking the Aura Skypool – the world’s highest 360-degree infinity pool — athletes completed a 20-minute FTP Test (functional threshold power test) on Concept2 Bike Ergs. Oda Lundekvam won the event for the women, while Matilde Garnes and Karin Freyova tied for second.
Michal Wesolowski won the men’s event, besting runner-up Benoit Boulanger and Nika Maisuradze, who came in third.
- After this event, Moritz Fiebig withdrew from competition with flu-like symptoms and dehydration.
The second event of the first day was an off-site 1K run, which had athletes in an all-out sprint.
With a time of 3:09, Switzerland’s Aline Wirz took the win over Kristin Holte and Matilde Garnes.
For the men, Luka Ðukić finished with a time of 3:51, beating out second-place finisher Michal Wesolowski and third-place Jake Douglas.
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Day Two
Day two kicked off with a 5K obstacle course, the first of four events for the day. 2024 Games rookie Calum Clements began the day with a win, beating out Luka Ðukić, who took second, and Andrey Fedotov in third.
For the women, Elisa Fuliano led the pack on the course and took first over Aline Wirz and Jamie Simmonds.
- Spain’s Gabi Castro withdrew after Event 3 after dislocating his shoulder.
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Next was a barbell complex of a clean, front squat and a jerk. Bronislaw Olenkowicz and Tola Morakinyo lifted in the second of three heats, with Morakinyo putting up 171 kilos (376 pounds) and beating Olenkowicz’s 168 kilos (369 pounds).
- Jake Douglas was in the final heat of men. While his first two lifts were unusually conservative, his final lift of 172 kilos (378 pounds) gave him the one-kilo win.
On the women’s side, Hannah Black won with 116 kilos (255 pounds) over Karin Frey, who lifted 113 kilos (248 pounds). France’s Margaux Massett came in third with 111 kilos (244 pounds).
For the next two workouts of the day, athletes tackled double-unders, sandbag cleans, and toes-to-bar in Event 5. In an elimination-style workout, they took on chest-to-bar pull-ups, sandbag squats, and shuttle sprints in Event 6.
Kristin Holte snagged her first event win of the weekend on Event 5, while Anikha Greer took the win, also her first of the weekend, on Event 6.
- “We didn’t have this one ahead of time… we just got it in the briefing, and I knew it would be good for me,” Greer said in her post-event interview. She went on to share that she fell in one heat and dropped the sandbag on her foot in another. Still, she managed a clean run in the final heat, solidifying her victory over Elisa Fuliano.
For the men, Giorgos Karavis beat out Ðukić on Event 5, while Jake Douglas collected his second win of the weekend on Event 6.
Closing out day two, we saw Luka Ðukić and Jamie Simmonds sitting on top of the leaderboard heading into the final day of competition.
Day Three
The final day of competition kicked off with Event 7, which was a 10-round EMOM, followed by two rounds of the same movements for time. Karin Frey and Benoit Boulanger won the event in their respective divisions; this was their first event wins of the weekend.
The penultimate event was in honor of Lazar Ðukić. It was a 14-minute cap involving ski calories, power snatches, overhead squats, assault bike calories, handstand walking, and rope climbs.
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Bronislaw took the win for the men, with Tola Morakinyo in second and Luka Ðukić in third. This was Ðukić’s fifth top-three finish over eight workouts. The performance extended his lead and put him 130 points ahead of second place overall.
- For the women, Karin Frey took another first-place finish, her second in a row, followed by Linda Keesman and Matilde Garnes.
The final workout was announced Sunday evening and had the athletes battling through 20 bar muscle-ups, 15 hang clean and jerks, and single-arm dumbbell overhead walking lunges to the finish.
Andrea Solberg came from behind and raced through her walking lunges for a win on the women’s side with a time of 2:28. Tola Morakinyo set a blistering pace to come in first for the men with a time of 2:02.
2024 Dubai Fitness Championship – Podium
Karin Frey topped the leaderboard for the women after nine events and is officially the only woman to win the competition for three consecutive years. Jamie Simmonds came in second place and Matilde Garnes was in third.
- For the men, third place went to Bronislaw Olenkowicz, with Toby Buckland finishing in second.
It was none other than Luka Ðukić who won by 106 points — a feat he set out to accomplish months ago.
Ðukić shared on social media that it was with the help of his coach, John Singleton, that he was able to do so.
- “I reached out to [Singleton] to ask if he would be willing to help me prepare – not just for the qualifiers but also for the finals, should I make it through.”
- “During one of our first conversations, I made it clear that my goal wasn’t just to participate in the competition – I wanted to fight for first place,” Ðukić wrote on Instagram weeks ago.
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The Dubai Fitness Championship was one that many associated with the Ðukić brothers: Lazar had competed five times and Luka three times before this year. They have mentioned through the years that it was one of their favorite events.
It was last year that Lazar finished on the podium in third place, his highest finish at Dubai. Luka finished in ninth.
During the award ceremony on Sunday night, Ðukić held his first-place trophy and looked to the sky. He posted shortly after on social media:
- “This weekend I won our favorite one, yet I would swap it for one second with you. I love you.”
Photo Credit: Lydia Stadhoewer
