Though it went by rather quietly with the Wodapalooza hangover still fresh and the hype for Fittest in Capetown building, six athletes punched their tickets to the CrossFit Games over the weekend. If we’ve learned one thing about CrossFit competitions, it’s that if they are near any water, the athletes will be in it. The Australian CrossFit Championship started with a beach event, with athletes logging 1,000 total meters in the beautiful Pacific Ocean.
And leave no doubt: Sam Briggs is back. “The Engine” from England had a dominant performance at the Australian CrossFit Championship, the third sanctioned event of the 2019 CrossFit Games season. Though Briggs already qualified in Dubai, certainly no one could stop her from winning another championship – and nearly every event within it. This left 22-year-old second-place finisher Madeline Sturt in the qualification spot from Australia.
It was a home game for nearly all of the men at the championship, as the entire roster was made up of Australian and New Zealand athletes. Reigning Fittest Man in Austrailia, James Newbury snagged his ticket to Madison where he will compete in his fourth CrossFit Games.
On the team side, the Aussies took the top eight places, with Project X out of Raw Strength and Conditioning winning overall. The team made up of Jessica Coughlan, Khan Porter, Brandon Swan and Harriet Roberts took first place in seven out of eight events. Royce Dunn’s team Torian Black finished 90 points behind them.
