CrossFit Games

Fittest in Cape Town Day One Recap

June 4, 2021 by
Photo Credit: Fittest in Cape Town
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Day one of the Fittest in Cape Town came to an end with very little surprises as two Games veterans on the individual side and one team put on dominating performances as they competed to earn their respective divisions lone 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games Invitations inside Woodmill Lifestyle Market in Stellenbosch, South Africa on Friday.

The women’s division:

Photo Credit: Michael Swartland

After day one it looks to be a three woman race for the lone Games invitation with a former Games veteran and national champion leading the way. Dina Swift swept the day’s events pretty handlely. She took Event 1, “3-2-1-Go”, crossing the finish line in 22:04, nearly a minute ahead of her closest competitor.

  • Swift would then make it 2-for-2 as the 2019 Games qualifier won Event 2, “Friday Night Lights”, hitting her final snatch of 165 lbs/75 kg with 3:21 on the clock.
  • Michelle Basnett sits in second, just 16 points behind Swift, thanks to a fourth place finish in Event 1 and a runner-up finish in Event 2.
  • Just four points behind Basnett is Tanha Bouffe in third. She placed third in Event 1 and fourth in Event 2.
  • 38-year old Mary Jamieson is in fourth with 168 points.
  • Reyneke Gilmari was the runner-up finisher in Event 1 with a time of 23:03

The men’s division:

Photo Credit: Kelly-Jayne Trindade

Jason Smith came into the competition considered by many to be the greatest South African crossFit athlete of all-time. After Friday’s performance he proved that he still has it despite being 36-years old. The two-time Games veteran won both events and has a 24-point lead over his closest competitor.

  • Smith won Event 1 with a time of 19:38 and followed that with another win in Event 2 clearing the last snatch barbell of 265 lbs/120 kg :23 seconds ahead of the rest of the field for the win.
  • Ruan Duvenage is in second place thanks to two top-5 finishes including a third place in Event 2 with a time of 4:39.
  • In third is 2019 Games athlete and Egyptian National Champion Mohamed Elomda who’s top placement on teh day was a third place in Event 1.
  • Just four points behind Elomda is Schalk Burger with two top-seven finishes.

The team division:

Event 1 of the team event at Fittest In Capetown (FIC) certainly favored the tall athletes, featuring 30 inch burpee box jump overs and all three Concept 2 machines. Unlike many of the other events this weekend, this event relied largely on individual efforts. Meanwhile Event 2 relied much more strongly on teams working together with 200 synchronized wallballs. Not surprisingly, first seed CrossFit Eikestad Mighty Oaks sits in first place overall unofficially in the event while second seed CrossFit Tijger sits in second.

  • It was no surprise that CrossFit Eikestad Mighty Oaks took first in Event 1, with teammate Jaco Brits sitting on the taller side for CrossFit athletes.
  • At just over 6’2”, Brits flew over the high box jumps and powered his way through the machines.
  • In Event 2, Eikestad Mighty Oaks once again came in first place overall for their second event win of the day.
  • It was also an intergym battle for the top three spots, as CrossFit Eikestad’s second team and fourth seed CrossFit Eikestad Golden Oaks came in third overall.
  • While only one team will qualify for the CrossFit Games out of the African region, the second and third place teams are currently within striking distance of that top spot at the close of Day one, with CrossFit Eikestad Golden Oaks only sitting 20 points away from first place.
  • If we’ve learned anything from the first weekend of Semifinals, it’s that a lot can change over the next two days, especially in a close competition.

On tap for day 2: Saturday’s action starts at 2:30am EST as both the teams and individual divisions each set to take on two events.

The Top Overall Top 10 After Day 1

  1. Dina Swift (200) | Jason Smith (200) | Eikestad Mighty Oaks (200)
  2. Michelle Basnett (184) | Ruan Duvenage (176) | CrossFit Tijger Valley (185)
  3. Tanha Bouffe (180) | Mohamed Elomda (160) | Eikestad Golden Oaks (180)
  4. Mary Jamieson (168) | Schalk Burger (156) | Kyma Kaos (150)
  5. Anneke Spies (160) | Michael van Tonder (130) | CrossFit Resuelto (145)
  6. Michelle Merand (152) | Brandon Jacobs (130) | CrossFit Damascus (140)
  7. Zandre Coetzee (148) | AJ Visser (126) | FireBolt Dragons (125)
  8. Brady Finkel (136) | Barend Smit (125) | Cape CrossFit Wolfpack (125)
  9. Alicia Stoop (124) | Billy Pullen (116) | Howling Commandos (115)
  10. Reyneke Gilmari (115) | CJ Ward (112) | Black Mountain CrossFit (115)

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