Alexandre Caron has withdrawn from the 2018 Reebok CrossFit Games following a nasty slip that occurred during a 1-rep max back squat attempt on Day 1 of the Games.
This is the second time the Games has included The CrossFit Total, which is comprised of a one-rep max back squat, overhead press, and deadlift. (Naturally, there are a lot more overhead presses than bench presses in the sport of CrossFit.) Games Director Dave Castro announced the new event just a week before it was held in Madison.
We can’t embed Facebook videos to start at a specific time but if you skip to 1:02:30 in the video below, you can watch it happen during a 455-pound squat.
Someone walks in front of him right as the tumble occurs, but you can see that the left foot shoots out to the side and the right foot gets knocked by the falling plates. He was clearly unsure of himself and limping slightly as he walked over to the strict press afterward. The announcers noted,
– You can see that foot just kick out from underneath him. It was the left foot that slid out but that right foot didn’t have a good landing either when that happened.
– Looks like the plates came down and might have nipped his foot as it hit the ground.
Why did it happen? He may have had issues with his form (many do during 1-rep max attempts) but while it may have looked sunny, it was actually lightly raining during this event. Indeed, commentator Mike Arsenault could be heard saying earlier during the event,
As we see this rain hitting the platforms, what should the athletes be concerned about if the platform gets a little bit slick and they have over 400 pounds on their back?
Looks like we have an answer to that question.
This was the twenty-two-year-old’s first appearance at the Games and he had a very strong start, taking fifth in Crit, nineteenth in the thirty muscle ups, and managing 10th in the Total — and remember he maxed his OHP and deadlift after taking that fall.
UPDATE: Caron has released a brief statement on his Instagram:
Yesterday, I had to withdraw from the @crossfitgames. I got a knee injury during the squat.
I still don’t have the final verdict on the extent of the injury. After consulting the medical staff, we agreed that there was no way I could go on with the competition.
Thank you everyone for your support I truly appreciate it. I will be back.
We wish him the best in his recovery.
Featured image via The CrossFit Games on Facebook.
