Big Names Rule Day 1 in Asia
The first day of competition at the 2019 Asia CrossFit Championships has just wrapped up. Individuals and Teams each took the floor of the Luwan Gymnasium in Shanghai, China for two events to kick off the weekend.
Event 1 featured the multiple rounds on the Assault Air runner and cleans. For the teams they were performed with the worm, and the individuals used a sandbag. Event 2 for the individuals was a heavy variation of the classic CrossFit benchmark “Karen,” and the teams did a similar workout but with a mandatory handstand hold added in as a twist.
Teams
The reigning affiliate cup champions CrossFit Mayhem Freedom made the lengthy trip across the globe to Shanghai hoping to earn their invite to the CrossFit Games, and their perfect performance on day 1 – winning both events – puts them in a good position to do so.
The crew from Cookeville, Tennessee recently added six-time individual qualifier Chyna Cho to their roster and her impact was immediately noticeable on day 1. In the first event Cho, managed to keep pace with teammate Dre Strohm on the Assault Air runner as the two blasted their 200 meter run portion. Mayhem’s impeccable technique and rhythm with the worm sealed the event win to start the day.
In event 2, Cho and Tasia Percevecz started their portion of the workout in a dead tie with Australia’s Project X with the Invictus Grown Strong team close behind. Cho and Percevez maintained fast unbroken sets to pull away from the rest of the pack and give Mayhem their second win in as many events to close day 1 on top.
- Mayhem Freedom – 2 pts*
- (3 way Tie) ALTR Project, Team Invictus Grown Strong, Torian Black – 7 pts
*The Asia CrossFit Championship is using a points per placing scoring system similar to the Open, and Regionals prior to 2015.
Men
Brent Fikowski made the trip out to China more than a week early to make sure jet lag and acclimation wouldn’t affect his performance and it certainly paid off “the Professor” gave the men’s field a lesson on day 1.
In the first event, Fikwoski’s brilliant pacing was on display as he battled the fittest man in China Ant Haynes for the top spot in the early rounds, giving ground on the run but making it up on the heavy sandbag cleans. By round three, Fikowski seized control of the lead for good and won the event, beating Kristof Horvath’s time to beat from an earlier heat.
In Event 2, Fikowski stayed unbroken on each of the first four sets of 30 wall balls in “heavy Karen” and had a big enough lead in the final set to take a strategic break, and waltz to the finish line well ahead of the previous best time for another event win.
- Brent Fikowski – 2 pts
- Kristof Horvath – 4 pts
- Josh Woodhull – 6 pts
Women
Despite already having a qualifying spot as the National Champion of Norway, Kristin Holte took the competition floor in Shanghai because she “wanted to experience China, and try some new things,” on the competition floor.
Through two events the only experience Holte has so far is winning, and her strong performance is anything but new after Holte won both events, highlighted by a ridiculous “heavy Karen” time of 6:01. Her time was the fastest of the day for both men and women. If Holte stays at the top, the invite to the Games will get passed down to the next in line, which is good news for Eik Gylfadottir who’s currently in 2nd place after day 1.
Gylfadottir finished both events in 2nd place a few steps behind Holte and will have to fend off fellow Games veteran Alethea Boon, who sits in third. Boon, along with Gylfadottir, failed to secure a spot to the Games in the Open and is hoping to earn her fourth trip to the CrossFit Games as an individual.
- Kristin Holte – 2 pts
- Eik Gylfadottir – 4 pts
- Alethea Boon – 7 pts