Arthur Semenov Delivers Dominant Performance on Moving Day at Far East Throwdown Semifinal

Ilyas Kuliev was the athlete that stood out during the first day of the Far East Throwdown Semifinal in the Republic of Korea. The second day was all about Arthur Semenov as he delivered a dominant performance. 

Test 3: Test 3 was a pure test of strength. Semifinals Linda tasked the athletes with completing a descending number of reps (10-1) of three lifts. They started with deadlifts at 295 pounds before continuing with dumbbell bench presses at 90 pounds and squat cleans at 145 pounds.

• Semenov, who kicked off the weekend with a win in Test 1, recovered from an 18th-place finish in Test 2 by showcasing his strength on Saturday. 
• Semenov was the class of the field as he quickly built up a big lead over his fellow athletes during the third heat. He did singles on the squat cleans like everyone else, but he kept his rest periods short en route to an event win at 14:13.00.
• There were two athletes that kept within striking distance of Semenov during the opening test – Morteza Sedaghat and Ant Haynes. 
• Sedaghat, another TYR athlete, kept a methodical pace during his reps, but he began pushing the pace once he hit the round of three. He was within reach of a second-place finish, but Haynes quietly passed him with a time of 14:48.00. Sedaghat still crossed the finish line third overall at 15:11.00.

Test 4-5: The fastest test in the first two days, the two-parter started with an 800-meter run and a max-effort snatch. The athletes had six minutes to complete this first section. Following a two-minute rest period, they then had another six minutes to complete eight snatches (185 pounds) and another 800-meter run. 

• As bigger athletes in the field, Semenov and Sedaghat were the names to watch entering Test 4. They did not disappoint with the top two weights. Semenov started at 225 pounds, but he methodically worked his way up to 295 pounds for the Test win. 
• Sedaghat was just behind Semenov during the first part of the test as he completed multiple lifts after finishing his lift. His final successful attempt, 290 pounds, took place right as the time cap hit. He matched Kyungsun Kang, who hit 290 pounds earlier in the session. 
• The second part of the test began with a frantic pace. Seungjong Kim quickly worked through his eight snatches, and he quickly jumped onto his AirAssault Runner for the final time. Though he had to settle for fourth overall in the test. 
• However, Semenov’s long strides made a difference during the final run. He passed every other athlete before scoring his third test win of the day at 3:13.38. He was nearly five seconds ahead of runner-up Andrei Fedotov, who crossed the finish line at 3:18.00.

Worth noting: After five tests, Semenov only has a 15-point lead over Sedaghat. This is not an insurmountable difference, which will only create fireworks on the final day. They both have the strength for the barbell movements on the final day, and they have the ability to generate power on the machines. The big difference maker for them and the other athletes will likely be the handstand walk pirouettes. 

The bottom line: There is only one day remaining in the Far East Throwdown Semifinal. Only one athlete can punch their ticket to the NOBULL CrossFit Games, so they will have no room for error during the final two tests. 

The first test of the day is a chipper with a time cap of 15 minutes. The male athletes must complete 20 overhead squats (185 pounds), a 500-meter row, three handstand walk pirouettes, two seated legless rope climbs, 20 strict chest-to-wall handstand push-ups, two seated legless rope climbs, three handstand walk pirouettes, 500-meter row, and 20 overhead squats (185 pounds). 

The final test is a three-round workout featuring a six-minute time cap. Athletes must complete 15 calories on the Echo Bike, 20 toes-to-bar, and a 60-foot sandbag bear-hug carry (200 pounds) while pushing through the pain.