Europe’s Favorites Take on Day 1 of Strength in Depth
Strength in Depth’s women’s roster is stacked with well-known CrossFit heroes all vying for the same five spots heading across the ocean this summer for another trip to the CrossFit Games. However, after Day 1, some crowd favorites are in danger of sinking, which others are rising to the top.
Emma McQuaid
While 32-year-old McQuaid’s name was largely unheard of when she first qualified for the CrossFit Games in 2019 after placing 15th in the Open worldwide, she’s quickly become a regular at the top of the leaderboard, and Day 1 at SiD proved that. Following an event win in Event 2, McQuaid edged out second place Jacqueline Dahlstrom, putting herself in first place going into the weekend.
On Saturday morning, athletes will take on the Barbell Complex, which should work to McQuaid’s strengths, regularly placing high in heavy lifting events, including an eighth place in the Games 1-rep max snatch event in 2021.
Jacqueline Dahlstrom
Tied in a points race with McQuaid after the first day of competition, Dahlstrom will look to continue her consistency so far this season, seeking a Semifinals qualifying spot. After finishing 17th at the Games last year, Dahlstrom, a Norway native, went on to place fourth in Europe’s Quarterfinals in 2022. Interestingly, at last year’s CrossFit German Throwdown, Dahlstrom also took home second place. Can she continue last year’s silver medal streak, or will Dahlstrom end the weekend with gold around her neck?
Samantha Briggs
She’s back! Since announcing her retirement in February, and subsequently receiving the final backfilled spot for Strength in Depth, Briggs has signed on for a final run at another trip to the CrossFit Games. Ending her Day 1 in fourth place, Briggs is in a great spot to make a tenth appearance at the Games. After winning the first heat of Event 1, Briggs suffered a few lost places, but will assume her usual place in the final heat on ‘Moving Day.’
Katrin Davidsdottir
Speaking of ‘Moving Day,’ two-time Games champion Davidsdottir needs to use Day 2 to her advantage if she wants to make it back to Madison, Wisconsin. Over the last season, Davidsdottir notably left her longtime training camp Comptrain and coach Ben Bergeron to move back to Iceland and train under the eye of The Training Plan’s head coach Jami Tikkanen. While Davidsdottir promised a better finish than her, according to Davidsdottir herself, ‘disappointing’ tenth place finish at the Games in 2021, she’s going into the weekend in an uncharacteristic ninth place.
Get the Newsletter
For a daily digest of all things CrossFit. Community, Competitions, Athletes, Tips, Recipes, Deals and more.
"*" indicates required fields
