Now that we know how to and who to watch at this weekend’s CrossFit Regionals, it’s time to address another vital question: who will come out on top?
With fewer than 1% of athletes and teams advancing from the Open to this second stage of competition, the Regionals field is undeniably deep with talent. This year’s workouts favor well-rounded athletes, and there are plenty of new(ish) faces with a legitimate chance to pilfer a spot atop their Super Regional podium.
But who will be the best performers across all seven events? We can wait until Sunday to find out, but what’s the fun in that? Let’s speculate!
For my — and your — entertainment, I asked some friends, some of whom also happen to be exercise-for-time experts, for their picks for Top Five Women of Weekend 1 (regardless of Region; these are just the ladies we’re guessing will perform exceptionally well).
Here are our picks, listed in alphabetical order:
Picks from Daniel Tyminski
(Daniel is a 4-time CrossFit Games Individual competitor)
Kristine Andali
Chyna Cho
Lauren Fisher
Becca Voigt
Kara Webb
Picks from Jay Adams
(Jay is a five-time CrossFit Regionals competitor and Head Coach at CrossFit Union Square)
Kristine Andali
Chyna Cho
Brooke Ence
Molly Volmer
Kara Webb
Picks from Liz Adams
(Liz will be competing in her fourth Regionals the last weekend of May, her second as an Individual)
Kristine Andali
Chyna Cho
Tia Clair-Toomey
Camillle Leblanc-Bazinet
Kara Webb
Picks from Ian Berger
(Ian is a six-time CrossFit Regionals competitor)
Kristine Andali
Chyna Cho
Tia Clair-Toomey
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
Kara Webb
Picks from Keka Schermerhorn
(Keka has served as Head Writer for the CrossFit Regionals East and North East Regions)
Kristine Andali
Chyna Cho
Tia Clair-Toomey
Molly Volmer
Kara Webb
My Bonus Pick (Because I can!)
Becca Voigt
Picks from Brooke Siem
(2015 was Brooke’s first year competing at Regionals; you can read about her experiences here)
Chyna Cho
Brooke Ence
Chelsey Grigsby
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
Kara Webb
Picks from David Tao
(David once set a world record for running five kilometers while eating ten hot dogs)
Kristine Andali
Colleen Fotsch
Chelsey Grigsby
Alexis Johnson
Kara Webb
While most names made it onto at least two experts’ lists, Kara Webb is the only athlete to make it onto all seven top fives. There are also a number of would-be Games rookies, being picked to outshine tried-and true veterans. What do you think of our expert picks? Who are your picks for Top Five Women this weekend?
Tune in on Monday morning to see how our experts fared.