Alethea Boon is a four-time CrossFit Games competitor who recently arrived in Shanghai, China for the 2019 Asia CrossFit Championship.
A couple of Boon’s CrossFit career highlights include her 20th place finish at the 2015 CrossFit Games, and a sixth place finish with CrossFit Active Team at the 2014 Games. Most recently, Boon represented New Zealand in weightlifting at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. And while CrossFit and weightlifting have been her most recent focuses, Boon has always been an athlete and was an artistic gymnast for New Zealand at the 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games.
In lead up to the Asia CrossFit Championship Sanctional™, Boon caught up with BarBend about her current training regimen, her goals for the Championship, and how the sport has shaped her career.
“I am here to capture the feeling of enjoyment in a place that I have always wanted to see,” Boon told BarBend. “When the opportunity came up to combine both travel, adventure, and fitness (two things I love), I knew it was something I had to do.”
The Asia CrossFit Championship is a three-day competition that runs from April 27th to April 29th in Shanghai, China. It will bring together athletes from all over the world to compete for an invite to the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games this summer.
Boon confirmed with BarBend last week that she would be attending, and now, after a long journey of travel, is finally settled in Shanghai.
“Now that I am here in Shanghai I one-hundred percent know this was meant to happen. There is no pressure to do well, but the expectation I have of myself [is] to give my absolute best effort on the floor. I am a true believer that if you give nothing but your best, you can’t walk away disappointed.”
For someone like Boon, who’s been around the Games and CrossFit for some time now, she understands the importance of being completely in-tune with her body and what it’s asking of her.
“I have to be honest, training for me these days looks more like that of a social CrossFitter, and it works for where I currently am at in life,” Boon said. “I train once a day for a couple hours a day for three days during the week, and then the weekend is a time where I can get a little bit more work in.”
As for what her training specifically has looked like, Boon mentioned that she’s been playing catch-up since dealing with a hip issue last year.
“I feel like I am finally able to gather some momentum with consistent training. It’s been a windy road to this point with so many factors playing on it all, but having consistency to show up to the gym, being present for each piece of training no matter how small, and just giving best efforts for any given day seems to really be paying off now,” Boon said.
Patience. Patience. Patience. And more patience. A trait Boon has really embraced since battling through some really difficult injuries over her athletic career. For example, back in 2016 at the Reebok CrossFit Games, Boon tore her achilles tendon and just seven months later crushed the CrossFit Open Workout 17.2.
“Wow I still get goosebumps hearing the crowd just erupt to get me over that finish line,” Boon recalls from the 2017 CrossFit Open. “The crowd, the atmosphere, and the support was spine tingling.”
Boon is ready to enjoy every moment at the Asia CrossFit Championship, and as for what to expect out of her on the first day of competition? Boon said first, it’s coffee, or an Almond latte, rather. But, after that it’s about competing and telling the other athletes around her how much they inspire her.
“I’m honestly excited to compete and finally meet all of the athletes from around the world that have messaged or emailed me. [I look forward to] making new connections with like minded people who are all striving for something greater than just their day to day, I don’t think these athletes know just how much I am inspired by all that they do.”
Feature image courtesy of Alethea Boon’s Instagram @alethea_boon.
