Roldan Goldbaum? Meet The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Open Top Finisher You’ve Never Heard Of
Every year new names emerge during the CrossFit Games Open, some of which stick and become household names in the sport.
Admittedly, it’s sometimes difficult to predict who will break through as a new star after the Open, but after this year, one of these no-brainer predictions is Mexico’s Roldan Goldbaum.
The 23-year-old placed an impressive fifth in the world in the 2023 Open, his best finish coming on 23.2’s max thruster workout, where he lifted 317 pounds and placed 28th overall.
Of course, the CrossFit world might still be skeptical of this young athlete’s potential to hang with the best during the next two stages of competition this season, but it’s important to note that Gauldbaum isn’t exactly brand new to the sport. He has been competing since he was a teenager, and placed a respectable 22nd at the Syndicate Crown Semifinals in Knoxville, TN last season.
And possibly even more importantly, Goldbaum has all the confidence in the world that his Open finish was no fluke.
When asked what he wants the CrossFit community to know about it, he boldly said: “I will be the CrossFit Games champion one day.”
Goldbaum’s CrossFit Journey
Goldbaum first found CrossFit when he was in high school and playing American football.
His football coach told him he needed to become stronger and more powerful, and took Goldbaum to Strong Suit CrossFit in Ensenada, Mexico, where the owner Mario Fernandez recognized Goldbaum’s talent and let him train at his gym for free.
Goldbaum took to CrossFit right away, and seven years later gives huge credit to Fernandez for giving him that opportunity as a teenager and for always “believing in me and being there for me,” Goldbaum said via a translator.
After placing 22nd at Semifinals last season, Goldbaum began following five-time CrossFit Games Champion Mat Fraser’s HWPO programming, and has also been hugely focused on improving his aerobic capacity. This has led him to spend a ton of time rowing, ski erging, biking, swimming and running in recent months, he explained.
Further, he also started working with a sports psychologist this season to have more “mental awareness and mental toughness,” which he’s hoping will translate to the competition floor.
If all goes as planned during Quarterfinals, then Goldbaum will have the chance to put all of his new skills, physical and mental, into action at Semifinals this spring, where he said he won’t be concerned about what types of movements or workouts show up.
Instead, Goldbaum’s just focused on what he needs to do everyday, and on “enjoying every training session and accepting the pain that comes with every session,” he said, but with the ultimate goal being, not only to earn his first ticket to the CrossFit Games, but also to finish in the top five in Madison, WI.
After that, Goldbaum hopes to, at some point, move to Vermont to train in person at HWPO with Fraser, and, of course, win the whole thing one day.
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