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Profiles

Ant Haynes Talks About His UCL Tear at the 2024 Asia Semifinals

July 4, 2024 by Emily Beers

It was supposed to be his swan song year.

Ant Haynes went into the 2024 Asia Semifinals thinking it would be his last as an Individual, ultimately hoping to qualify for this summer’s CrossFit Games for a third and final time. 

At least, that was the plan.

But it all came crashing down on Event 5 when the Hong Kong native felt his right elbow buckle. Haynes fell to the floor during his second snatch rep with the 245-pound barbell.

  • “I felt it happen. I have had multiple knee operations and you kind of know when [you do something bad],” Haynes, a former professional rugby player for Hong Kong, told the Morning Chalk Up.

Haynes wasn’t able to finish the event and knew he wouldn’t be able to complete the next one, either. He could barely hang from the rings, let alone complete 15 muscle-ups, or grip the 100-pound dumbbell with his right hand.

He could have pulled out of the competition, but that’s not his style.

Instead, the 34-year-old took the floor for Event 6, the final event of the competition, and completed the 30-calorie Echo bike before stopping to watch the rest of the competitors hit the muscle-ups and walking lunges. It was his way of supporting them, he explained. 

  • “I’m not someone who will stand around and necessarily cheer on my competitors,” Haynes said, adding that taking the floor was his way of showing respect to his competitors. 

“And I wanted to be out there and still be a part of it all,” he added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by B.FRIENDLY FITNESS (@bfriendlyfitness)

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What Happened Next

Haynes returned home to Hong Kong and discovered he tore his UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) and ruptured his common flexor tendon in his elbow, the same injury eight-time Games veteran Brooke Wells suffered at the 2021 Games, also while doing a snatch.

Since then, Haynes has undergone surgery and has been in touch with Wells and Jamie Simmonds, another athlete who experienced a UCL tear. He wants to learn what to expect from the recovery. 

Talking with them has helped him a lot, Haynes said, although he knows his injury is more difficult to repair because his UCL tore at the distal site, meaning the bottom portion of the ligament. 

  • Both Wells and Simmonds, on the other hand, tore theirs at the proximal site, or the top part of the ligament, which is simpler to operate on. 

As a result, Haynes was in a cast for four weeks after the surgery, while Wells and Simmonds never had to be in a cast.

Despite the setback, Haynes is already back in the gym.

  • “The safety squat bar has been my best friend for the last four weeks…I have been doing everything in my power to do whatever I can to get back [to fitness],” said Haynes, who started training again almost immediately after the surgery.
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ant Haynes (@anthayneshk)

[Related: Best Mobility Exercises]

“My doctor was like, ‘I want you to sit at home for four weeks.’ And I was like, ‘That’s just not going to work,’” Haynes said.  

Looking Ahead

Haynes’ short-term focus is just to heal his injury and get back to 100 percent. After that? He hasn’t decided.

Originally, Haynes had planned to retire from Individual competition after this season and possibly find a team next season, but now he’s not so sure.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ant Haynes (@anthayneshk)

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Haynes plans to do the Open next year, and if he feels like he’s 100 percent by then, he might just give individual competition another go next season. 

If not, he might join a team.

  • “This was going to be my swan song year…[but] now I feel like I maybe have a bit of unfinished business that I want to go back for,” he said.

More From the Morning Chalk Up

  • Changing the Games: Sean Woodland Reflects on More Than a Decade of CrossFit Broadcasts
  • From Demo Team to Games Rookie, Victor Hoffer Is Here for the Long Haul
  • Building a Bulletproof Athlete: A Conversation With Alex Gazan and Justin Cotler

Featured image: @anthayneshki / Instagram

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