Fraser, Toomey Embrace the Sound of Silence
Photo courtesy of CrossFit LLC.
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There’s no music, so don’t be waiting for it, announced Dave Castro to the athletes moments before Event 1—2007 Reload—of the CrossFit Games Finals on Friday morning.
- “I could hear you breathing. There’s no crowd, there’s no music,” said CrossFit Games commentator Niki Brazier to Mat Fraser in a post-event interview after Fraser all but dominated Event 1.
Turns out, the four-time champion Fraser and his training partner Tia-Clair Toomey, who’s chasing a historic fourth straight title this weekend, appreciate silence. In fact, Fraser prefers it.
- “I love it…I don’t like training with music. When I’m in my garage, usually I’ll just have a podcast going. I like to hear my breathing, be in my own thoughts, and just focus on the task at hand,” Fraser said.
- “I’m just so focused on what I’ve got to do that really the surroundings (don’t) play an effect at all,” added Toomey after topping the women’s field by 30 seconds.
Actions speak louder than words: Less than an hour after Event 1, both Fraser and Toomey continued their not-so-silent dominance in Event 2 — the 320-meter Corn Sack Sprint — an event Fraser predicted would be all about “who can put up with the pain.”
- The answer: Fraser and Toomey. Fraser’s time of 2:51 was almost 18 seconds faster than second place finisher Sam Kwant, while Toomey finished 19 seconds ahead of her closest challenger, Katrin Davidsdottir, in a hill sprint where the only sounds around them were footsteps, heavy breathing and lactic acid building up in their quads.
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