The reigning Men’s champion offered clarity on his slow start.
Justin Medeiros entered the 2023 CrossFit Games in Madison, WI, hoping so as to add a 3rd consecutive Men’s title to this trophy case. Nonetheless, because the athlete competed on Individual opening day, he earned a Twenty ninth and Thirty seventh finish in the primary two events (“Ride” and “Pig Chipper”) of the competition. Such an initial performance has put Medeiros’ repeat possibilities in real jeopardy.
On August 4, 2023, Medeiros appeared in a video with the Buttery Bros on their YouTube channel to debate his opening performance. The interview with Medeiros begins at 2:00.
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The beginning of the 2023 Individual CrossFit Games featured “Ride,” an event where athletes had the duty of ending as many laps as possible on a Trek Bikes Marlin 8 mountain bike with a 40-minute deadline. An unlucky crash set Medeiros back to a Twenty ninth-place finish amongst his competitors.
Medeiros explained that he had collided with Lazar Đukić twice, resulting in his falls. Đukić had apparently stepped on one among his pedals too hard, slowing Medeiros down enough to crash. It’s unclear if Medeiros’ crash was from the side or a rear-end. On the second occasion, Medeiros tried to keep up the within track on Đukić, which he said was a bonus his peer tried to eliminate.
Medeiros didn’t want to present up his positioning, thrusting him into one other crash. Đukić would take thirty fifth place.
“I don’t think he [Đukić] wanted me to be on the within, so he tried to squeeze me out,” Medeiros said. “I could have braked and gone around him, but I didn’t need to brake … I don’t think either of us desired to fall, so I don’t think either one among [the collisions] was on purpose.”
Once it was time for the “Pig Chipper,” Medeiros was visibly shaken and managed only to get well enough for a Thirty seventh-place finish: the worst workout results of his young profession. Đukić would take second place behind overall leader Roman Khrennikov.
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On the time of this writing, with lower than two days remaining within the 2023 Games, one other Medeiros title seems unlikely. Nonetheless, the athlete recovered enough to make the cut and will likely be a fixture during Sunday’s Final.
Featured image: Buttery Bros on YouTube