As announced on the official 2018 Reebok CrossFit Games broadcast, Sara Sigmundsdottir has withdrawn due to an apparent rib injury. The Icelandic athlete was sitting in 11th place heading into the “Bicouplet” event on Day 4 of competition (Day 3 of events for Individual competitors).
She explained on her Instagram,
Sometimes things are unfair and don´t go as planned☹️
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I have never been as well prepared for the @CrossfitGames as I was this year but early on in the competition something happened and my ribs got really sore and bruised. I was in a bit of denial and decided to tough it out. In the “Marathon row” the pain went a way as soon as had hit 10 km, so I thought this couldn´t be that bad. Afterwards the pain got so much worse of course. I started Friday, still in denial, and after the “Clean and jerk ladder” pain killers had become my best friend. I decided to keep on pushing today regardless of all the alarm bells but once I started warming up for events 9 and 10 the pain had become so bad that I could not bend over to do a snatch or complete a muscle up on the bar.
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It is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life but I have decided to withdraw from the competition due to a stress fracture injury on my rib.
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This desicion is made after a consultation with my coach and doctors. There was only one decision to be made, and as much as I hate the fact that I am not going to finish this competition I know that this is the only right way to proceed.
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I will give a better and more detailed explanation on all of this when I know more but one thing is for sure. I´ll be back!!!
At 25 years old, Sigmundsdottir has built an incredible resume in CrossFit after she began competing in 2013. She has qualified for the CrossFit Games four times — every year since 2015 — and won Regional competitions every year from 2015 through 2017 (two in the Meridian Region, one in the Central). She finished third at the European Regional in 2018, which secured her spot in this year’s Games.
Perhaps her most well-known accomplishment in the sport is earning back-to-back podium finishes in 2015 and 2016 as an Individual competitor. She finished in fourth place overall at the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games, which furthered her reputation as one of the most consistent elite-level athletes in the sport. That year, she also won the worldwide Open competition.
Other female athletes who have withdrawn from the 2018 competition due to injury or medical issues include Emily Bridgers, Justine Beath, and Michele Fumagalli.
Note: This article was updated after Sigmundsdottir revealed details about her injury.
Featured image: @sarasigmunds on Instagram
