Amanda Barnhart overtook Jamie Greene on the final push of the Sprint Couplet to claim first place in event four of the CrossFit Games. Athletes had to push a 90lb sled 172ft, complete 15 muscle-ups, then push the sled back 172ft to the finish line.
Barnhart finished in one minute, 29 seconds and 8 milliseconds, winning her heat and the overall event.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that. I just didn’t know what to expect at all,” Barnhart said. “The sled was pretty light, so I just went hard. I’ve got good leg power, so it’s kinda my jam.”
A further 10 athletes have been cut after event four, reducing the field to 30, however Barnhart said she’s trying not to think of the frequent cuts.
“It’s in the back of your mind, but I’m really trying not to think about it. I’m just trying to do my best and then I’ll end up where I belong,” she said.
Two milliseconds separated Colleen Fotsch and Meg Reardon in the other heat. It was impossible to tell who had won until the official times showed one 1:34:07 for Fotsch and 1:34.09 for Reardon. They were second and third overall.
“Just seeing the heat for the guys, I knew it was going to be a really tough race,” Fotsche said. “I had to lay it all out there. I’m hoping for something heavy, some lifting maybe [in upcoming events]. There is honestly nothing now I’m not looking forward to, I’m just having fun.”
Tia-Clair Toomey remains atop of the overall leaderboard.
Event three, recap
Canadian Emily Rolfe fought off three of the top crossfitters in the world as the women’s first event of day two came down to a thrilling finish between four athletes carrying 50 pounds on their backs.
Rolfe finished the grueling 6km Ruck run first with a time of 27 minutes, nine seconds and 16 milliseconds, fighting off Tia-Clair Toomey, Samantha Briggs and Kirsten Holte. The event saw competitors complete 1.5km loops, however with each loop they added more weight to a backpack.
Rolfe said her game plan going into the event was simple, stick with the two-time defending champion.
“So I just tried to stick up to Tia and stay on her back the whole race and see if I had a better kick at the end,” she said.
Rolfe, who is competing in her first CrossFit Games, said she likes the uncertainty of the competition and not knowing what she will be tackling until moments before each event kicks off.
“It’s awesome I’d rather not know. I’d rather go in blind. You don’t need to stress about it were all doing it otherwise,” she said.
Karissa Peace held the overall lead at the end of day one, but Toomey’s second place means she now sits in first heading into the second event of day two.
Day one recap
Karissa Pearce was the top woman at the CrossFit Games as the sun set on day one. The American came second and third respectively in the day’s two events, giving her the most points overall despite not winning either.
In the second event, the athletes had to complete an 800m row, 66 kettlebell shoulder-to-overheads (with two 15 kilogram KBs) and a 132-foot handstand walk.
Rookie Danielle Brandon won event two and put it down to her “shoulder stamina, especially being able to go straight into handstand walks. My shoulders were destroyed but I knew I could do it.
“It’s my first year here, so I was excited to get through the first event,” she said at the end of the second heat of the second event.
The competition was cut down to 50 athletes after day one.
Sara Sigmundsdottir looked set to win the first heat of event two, but with just a few feet to go on the handstand walk, she fell and had to start the last section again. She slipped down to fifth in the heat. She smiled and shrugged it off.
Tia-Clair Toomey showed why she was the 2017 and 2018 CrossFit Games Champion as the Australian smashed the opening event of the 2019 edition. Event One, called First Cut, was so tough that not a single woman finished it in heat one or two, but Toomey set off at an unbelievable pace and maintained it to the end.
Athletes had 20 minutes to complete four rounds of a 400m run, three legless rope climbs and seven 130-pound squat snatches. Toomey finished in 16 minutes, 56 seconds and 63 milliseconds. Only three others finished, Pearce (18:16:35), Jamie Greene (19:00:67) and Haley Adams (19:00:73).
“She is off to an incredibly aggressive pace,” the commentator said as Toomey left for her second 400m run. But she kept it up. As she went around for her second lap, she was checking over her shoulder for other competitors but she need not have bothered. No one was within sight.
“Shane (her coach) and I were talking about a game plan, [but] three, two, one and it went out the window,” Toomey said.
As Toomey ran back to the ropes, she did not pause for a rest but went straight back onto the rope.
“I’m really happy with that performance but we don’t know what’s coming, you just have to take advantage,” Toomey said.
The qualification process has changed this year, so there numerous national champions who would have struggled to make the cut in the pass.
“It’s awesome, it brings me back to my first day,” Toomey said. “Seeing their faces, and excitement, it’s rewarding and an honour to be part of.”
After the first round, the field was cut to 75 athletes, which is close to half the competitors who started out this morning.
One of the competition’s strongest athletes, Sigmundsdottir, looked disgruntled as she failed to finish. The Icelander did enough to make it to the next round, but her facial expression suggested angst. The commentators speculated about her mental strength, or that perhaps she had exchanged words with one of the volunteer judges who count reps.
