CrossFit Games

2022 CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Semifinal: Day 1 Takeaways

May 20, 2022 by
Photo Credit: Athlete's Eye Photography | Patrick Clark
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Day one at the RAI Arena in Amsterdam has come and gone and it’s had a little bit of everything. There are a couple of division leaders most expected to see, but perhaps one that you wouldn’t have picked to be atop the leaderboards. 

Teams

All eyes were understandably on CrossFit Reykjavik today, as it was our first chance to see them in a live competition this season. They did not disappoint. They won both team workouts on day one, however, those workouts both consisted of a series of opportunities for athletes to work individually, and all four of those athletes of course have independently impressive individual resumes. 

Tomorrow they will have to move as twos and fours in synchro patterns and with the worm, which will be the real first glance into their true potential as a team to be reckoned with this year. 

Behind them on the leaderboard is the very experienced CrossFit Portti out of Finland, who placed 4th and 2nd to set things off on the right foot, and the much anticipated debut in live competition of CrossFit Zarautz Training Culture, out of Spain, who were nearly as good with a third and a fourth. Zarautz, like Reykjavik, will still need to show the efficiency in more teamwork centric events over the course of the weekend.

Men

It’s an all Dukic affair at the top of the leaderboard after day one. Older brother Lazar won the 2014 throwback workout, and followed that up with a second place to earn 196 of 200 possible points. His brother, Luka, who was battling out of the second heat today, impressively took 3rd and 5th to earn 176 and edges out Latvia’s Uldis Upenieks and pre-competition favorite Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson who are tied with 172 points. Those four have already established quite a gap (32 points) ahead of 5th place Adrian Mundwiler. 

Lazar Dukic was the one man in this field some picked out who could potentially challenge Gudmundsson for the top spot come weekend’s end. A 24-point lead after day one not only sets him up for that possibility, but means he’ll be sleeping on the confidence that he can in fact compete for the top spot here. Remember, although he has qualified for the Games previously, he’s never done so in live competition. 

Women

Most eyes were on competition rivals Laura Horvath and Gabriela Migala prior to the start of competition. Their day one trajectories were quite different however. For Horvath it was the combination of consistency and excellence we’re used to seeing. She placed second in both events, earned 192 points, and holds an eight point lead over second place. 

Migala had an up and down day, and although a 16th and 1st looks a little odd on the leaderboard, her execution in both workouts maximized her points today. 

Legless rope climbs are her biggest weakness historically, and she still is not on par with the best women. However, she had a specific pace per round she set out to hold, and was able to do so, salvaging a 16th and not blowing up in the later rounds. Backing it up with an event win in a very exciting final women’s heat in which she exchanged the lead on more than one occasion with a handful of women is exactly the rebound performance points wise she needed to start the climb back towards the top of the leaderboard- she’s already back in 6th by only one point. 

Between Horvath and Migala are four athletes, three of whom would be making their rookie appearances at the Games should they hold onto a top five spot. 

  • Norway’s Matilde Garnes sits second on the back of a pair of third place finishes. 
  • Slovakia’s Karin Freyova won the first event, took sixth on event two, and looks poised to show that she still has the ability to compete with the best women in Europe.
  • Wodapalooza standout Lucy Campbell did not do anything stellar on the first day, but you don’t need to. Sixth and fifth place finishes on two quite different workouts demonstrate the consistency needed to advance from a Semifinal. 
  • And in fifth is Spain’s Elena Carratala Sanahuja rides a pair of top 10 finishes into day two.

If you’re a fan of Sara Sigmundsdottir, do not fear, she sits in seventh after finishing 10th and 8th, and is well within striking distance of the top five with two thirds of the competition remaining. 

Heading into Moving Day

In all three divisions there is a high likelihood to see some big shifts on the leaderboard Saturday. With a strength event on the docket for everyone, some of the athletes or teams who might not be great at legless rope climbs, could excel with a heavy barbell. But the athletes who happen to be good at both are the ones we’ll likely see in the top five when day two comes to an end. 

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