...and The Fittest Man and Woman are...

After watching two days of treacherous WODs 2 athletes rose to the top (interviews from CrossFit Games Site ):

Miikko Salo-

"The Finnish firefighter and rescue diver completed eight WODs and emerged victorious from a field of elite international athletes."

When I found out this guy had traveled to Aromas, Ca from Finland to compete I had to stop and think- "This is crazy, people all over the WORLDare doing what we do in our box- following the programming of Greg Glassman and getting our asses handed to us day in and day out."

I am so proud of this athlete for traveling as far as he did and fighting to the end. On day one not many people knew this man, but I am sure they will be talking about him for days to come.

 

 

 

The Fittest Woman on Earth-

"Wagner had difficulty on the muscle-ups but finished nonetheless, completing the rest of the WOD in 29:34.4 and claiming the overall title with a consistent performance across the board. All told, Wagner only finished out of the top 10 in one event, proving she is truly the master of all 10 CrossFit fitness domains."

"This is a dream," Wagner said. "Last year was so awesome, but it was a different feeling than it is this year. This year is just awesome."

It was amazing watching the women compete! Hard work and training moved Tanya from #2 last year to #1 this year. I cannot express the strength, dedication and determination I saw on every womens face during their wod. Carey Kempler from CrossFit Central (third place) even did a dance after she finished her 5th wod of the day, while the men before her had crumpled to the ground.

Thank you to all of you CFSers who came out to watch the games, it was great hearing how many of your can't wait to come back next year and either watch or be a part of an affiliate team! Hopefully we talk about it so much others will follow us there.

WOD for 071309
Backsquats 3,3,3,3,3

*Plus I saw some pretty cool new warm-ups so be ready!

Comments

[gizzle]

A finnish firfighter won???

I leave for 1 day to go fight the war and this happens ...

I'm so confused

[Matty P]

Giz now youre gone you better practice palama set one!!! You need to get that yellow belt when you get back lol. If not I'll just beat you up for fun :)... just playing. Man I wish I didn't miss the games they sounded like so much fun. Vegas was great tho, I'm glad to be back and ready for some CFS WOD's baby!

[Bryan]

So the 2009 CrossFit games were my very first. I had an awesome time. The Games exceeded my expectations by a very large margin. I had no idea what I was in for. I attended the NorCal qualifiers and expected the Games to be a lot like that…well, they weren’t…they were about a billion times better.

First of all, the presentation was right on par. HQ did an amazing job at setting everything up. The spectator area was incredible…you could sit high up in the bleachers and take it all in, or you could get right up against the fence for an intimate view of the action.

Second, the vendors were incredible. I scored a bunch of new (free) swag and also broke the bank a little bit at the CrossFit store. No biggie though, I’ve always wanted a pukie shirt :) I cheated at the food counters as well. I had some orange chicken and a double cheeseburger. Both were absolutely delicious, but nowhere near Zone…oh well, a little cheating never hurt anybody.

Finally…last but nowhere near least…the competition. This blew me away. I was expecting to just sit by and watch a bunch of people doing WODs, and cheering for my favorite athletes, just like I do at a baseball or football game. A funny thing happened, though, I got emotionally involved in the competition. I mean, when I watch a baseball game and my favorite player hits a home run, I’m happy. I jump up and down and scream and cheer because he just did something incredible. However, I haven’t played baseball since I was ten or eleven years old, I have no idea what that athelete is actually feeling as he drives the ball out of the park. At the CrossFit Games, on the other hand, I knew what the athletes are feeling. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am by no means a fire breather, or star athlete, and I’ve never done my WOD in front of thousands of people, but I felt the athletes’ pain as they struggled for that last rep, when they had to drop the bar cause their arms couldn’t take another push press, as they gasped for breath on the run, doing everything they could to will their legs to take just one more step. My heart sank when Jason Khalipa collapsed near the end of the run on the first day. When Annie Thorisdottir was struggling with her muscle-ups in the final event, and fell to the ground, I actually welled up with tears (good thing I had my sunglasses on so nobody could see it…). I, as well as everyone else in that crowd, felt a connection to these athletes. You could feel the energy at the end of the Women’s Chipper when Charity Vale set down her weight to rest during the lunges when she was only a few feet behind Kristan Clever, and only about fifty feet from the finish. Everyone yelled and pleaded with her not to stop. The energy was absolutely electric.

I can now see why DJ and Lo were so excited to be at the Games. I can’t wait till next year…with any luck we’ll have an athlete from our own box to cheer on…

I’m hooked. I now see why this is such a big deal. Hope to see you all there in 2010.

[Fathia]

Man, I wish I was able to go and watch the games! This really makes me want to try out next year. I know I'm nowhere near their level, but it sure motivates me to do better, harder, faster!

[Bryan]

Disclaimer: the views expressed by this individual are my own and in no way represent the views or policies of Dustin or Lauren Joseph, CrossFit Solano (to include any of its members) or any other CrossFit related agency.

[Suz]

Well said, Bryan! You captured the spirit of the event beautifully!

And your right, Fathia, it does make you want to do better, harder, faster!

Can't wait to do a WOD tonight, see you at 6:30 PM.

[saki]

thanks for the bday wishes, girls! sorry. i stop to look at the post and the pictures...ooooh...pretty pictures....and then i hit the books. finally got to check out some recent comments. :)

dig the shirts. :) lot of comments on them. hm. i'm hungry...going to hunt a turkey, make some cheese, dig up some lettuce and bake some bread..well...kinda... ;)

[lo]

saki- if you bake bread i am coming over- i love homemade bread!
bryan- i love your comment and completly share in your opinion and views (on this topic- had to make sure i mention that disclaimer).

[new balance]

I couldn't agree with you more! And thanks for the blog award! I'm just thrilled to receive this award from you. I'll be sure to keep this blog an interesting place for my awesome readers, such as yourself, to keep coming back to!

[Supra Footwear]

In the name of God, That is it.

[Jordan 1]

Where should their loyalty lie and what should be the consequences of their actions ?

[ClubPenguinCheats]

I know I'm nowhere near their level, but it sure motivates me to do better, harder, faster!