1. KATRIN DAVIDSDOTTIR
Can the reigning Champion defend her crown and win the CrossFit Games 2016? Her consistency across all 13 events last year was phenomenal. Through working with her coach Ben Bergeron, she toughened her mental game and tightened up her weaknesses The end result was a first place finish.
Source: Katrin Davidsdottir
Her years of experience as a gymnast allow her to cope well with the rigorous physical punishment of the Games. It also allows her to excel at exercises such as Muscle Ups and Handstand Walks.
She is also a fierce competitor, and there is absolutely no doubt about how much she wants to keep her title from any challengers
Previous Positions
- 2013 24th place
- 2014 Failed to qualify for the Games
- 2015 1st place
HOW CAN SHE INSPIRE YOU TO BECOME A BETTER CROSSFITTER?
Trust in yourself. Last year a lot of the attention focused on Sara Sigmundsdottir as she looked unstoppable throughout the games. Sara went into the last two events in first place, but Katrin had quietly been putting in excellent performances, and took first place by winning the final event.
‘Stay focused on yourself, and only on the next task at hand.’
2. KARA WEBB
To say that Kara Webb has been unfortunate in her career at the CrossFit Games would be an understatement. Last year she had to be carried off the floor after suffering from sunstroke during Murph, yet she still powered through to finish the event. She had been in first place at the beginning of the day, and recovered enough to take part in the Snatch Ladder a few hours after the end of collapsing.
Source: Kara Webb
She won the Pacific Regionals in 2015 and 2016, and came second in the Open for the last two years running!
She is a strong, powerful athlete that has proven time and time again her incredible mental toughness and consistency across the board. If she can hit the 2016 CrossFit Games injury free, then there is no reason why she couldn’t walk away with the title of ‘Fittest Woman in the World’.
Previous Positions
- 2013 12th place
- 2014 31st place
- 2015 5th place
HOW CAN SHE HELP YOU TO BECOME A BETTER CROSSFITTER?
Kara has a great attitude to competition and training. She never moans or complains, just puts her head down and gets on with the work that she needs to do. She is positive and upbeat, and make no mistake, she is there to win, but seems to have a huge enjoyment for the larger overall process as well.
‘I never lose. Either I win or I learn.’
3. SAM BRIGGS
The English powerhouse is a legendary veteran of the Games. She is currently still having visa difficulties with entering the US in order to compete again this year, but if she does, could she repeat what she managed in 2013, and win the Games again?
She is older than many of the other athletes, but this only seems to give her more grit and determination to succeed. Any longer workouts or chippers are her perfect territory, and her engine is rightly renowned for being ferocious and unstoppable.
Previous Positions
- 2010 19th place
- 2011 4th place
- 2012 Did not compete
- 2013 1st place
- 2014 Won Worldwide Open. Did not qualify for the Games
- 2015 4th place
HOW CAN SHE ALLOW YOU TO BECOME A BETTER CROSSFITTER?
Sam has tasted the highs of success and the lows of defeat. From being the best female Crossfitter in the world in 2013, to failing to qualify in 2014, she understands how to maintain a strong mental Game.
Sam shows exactly how important mental toughness actually is. In the gruelling event Murph at The CrossFit Games in 2015, she finished in first place, a full minute ahead of second place competitor Alethea Boon. She also beat ALL the guys except Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, which was an incredible achievement!
‘Nothing worth having comes easy.’
4. ANNIE THORISDOTTIR
Annie is a legend on the Crossfit scene, and has inspired a generation of outstanding Icelandic athletes. With two first 1st place, and two 2nd place finishes to her name, her status as one of the top Crossfitters ever is already firmly established.
Source: Annie Thorisdottir
Not that she is resting on past victories! She looked electric at the Meridian Regionals and was out to win. A fierce battle raged between her and fellow Icelandic athletes Sara Sigmundsdottir and Thuri Helgadottir, and once they reach the Games they will be joined by Katrin Davidsdottir as well! The competition is going to be intense, but her experience will be highly valuable against these other athletes. Can she secure another Games win? It could definitely happen!
Previous Positions
- 2010 2nd place
- 2011 1st place
- 2012 1st place
- 2013 Did not compete
- 2014 2nd place
- 2015 Withdrew from competition
HOW CAN SHE ASSIST YOU TO BECOME A BETTER CROSSFITTER?
Love what you do. Look for what it is that makes you want to get fit, to train and to better yourself. Whatever that reason, it is valid and good because it is your reason! Remember to find the fun in your training. Listen to Annie talk about weightlifting…
‘Throwing heavy things overhead has always been one of my favourites. That moment in time where the bar becomes weightless and you need to make a decision – make or break, drop under or drop the bar. I think the suspense is what makes this so exciting and fun to work on.’
5. SARA SIGMUNDSDOTTIR
A strong favourite in many people’s eyes to become the 2016 ‘fittest woman in the world’. She narrowly lost out last year after leading for significant periods of time. 2015 was also her rookie year, and to put in such strong performances showed incredible ability, willpower and work ethic. She made a few small errors in a couple of events (the sandbag carry is one such example) which cost her in the long run.
She has talked in the past of feeling that the whole thing felt almost too good to be true, leading in front of all these other famous and talented athletes, but this year her mental game is even stronger, and there are very few people that doubt her ability to win the 2016 Games.
Previous Positions
2015 3th place
HOW CAN SHE AID YOU TO BECOME A BETTER CROSSFITTER?
It is said all the time throughout Crossfit that you need to operate outside your comfort zone. But how far can you go? Sara consistently shifts the boundaries of what she can do, and it helps to forge her into an incredible athlete.
Sara: ‘If you want to work on your mental side I recommend this workout called Kettlebell Hell’
4 Rounds for increasing load:
- 10 Double KB Clean
- 10m Double KB FR Carry
- 10 Double KB STOH
- 10m Double KB FR Carry
- 10 Double KB FR Lunges
- 10m Double KB FR Carry
- 10 Double KB FR Squat
- REST 3 minutes b/t rounds
‘Recommended starting weights 16/12kg (35/26lbs) or more if you dare.. Take it with someone who pushes you! Thanks BK Gudmundsson for the competition’
6. CROSSFIT GAMES 2016: LAUREN FISHER
In sport, good form can carry you a long way. If you look at her past performances then on paper she seems like an odd choice, but if you make the judgement on what she achieved at the Californian Regionals, one of the toughest in the world, then she could stand an outsiders chance if things go her way.
Source: Lauren Fisher
Lauren is a strong athlete and a great lifter. She trains at CrosFit Invictus, where imbalances are stamped out and nothing less than a Trojan work ethic is acceptable. She has demonstrated her ability to handle pressure by competing so well at the Regionals, and has tightened a lot of her former weaknesses. Lauren is definitely one to watch and will go into the Games with nothing to lose and everything to win.
Being an underdog is always a good position to attack from, and with the sting from last year’s failure to qualify, she has something to prove in 2016.
Previous Positions
2014 9th place
2015 Did not qualify
HOW CAN SHE CAN INSPIRE YOU TO BECOME A BETTER CROSSFITTER?
Lauren is a perfect example of what a great work ethic looks like. With her natural abilities, she could easily focus solely on weightlifting and be done with endurance work and gymnastics, but she enjoys the challenge and continuously works on the skills she needs to improve. After 2015, where she had problems with a legless rope-climb, she was determined to master the skill in her training until the CrossFit Games 2016. In this year’s regional events, she got to prove her proficiency.
‘Difficult doesn’t mean impossible, it simply means that you have to work hard.’
Image Sources
- katrin-tanja: Katrin Davidsdottir
- kara-webb-wod: Kara Webb
- annie-thorisdottir-wall-balls-crossfit: Annie Thorisdottir
- lauren-fisher-featured-image-: Lauren Fisher
- crossfit-girls: CrossFit Inc