Eyes on the Games, Ticket in Sight: Harry Lightfoot Takes on the French Throwdown
In Harry Lightfoot’s words, “The last nine months for me have been (not to sound too cliché), life-changing. It’s been unbelievable.”
And he’s not wrong. Over the past year, the two-time CrossFit Games athlete and fan favorite has signed with two of the biggest brands, not only in our sport but in any sport: Adidas and RedBull. Heading into this season, with this massive dose of support, “it’s like a dream – every day is an honor,” Lightfoot told Morning Chalk Up.
Some Background
While Lightfoot’s relationships with Adidas and Red Bull are new, he’s not new to the competitive fitness scene. He’s competed at Quarterfinals since 2021 and at Semifinals since 2023.
In 2024, his rookie year at the CrossFit Games, he finished 21st. The next year, he climbed the leaderboard and finished 11th, the highest finish for a European male that year.
In the time he’s spent competing at the top, he’s gained valuable self-knowledge.
When one thinks of Lightfoot, it’s easy to picture his smile, his laugh, and an authentic, genuine person with a heart of gold and an infectious sense of humor, often “waffling on,” as he puts it. But as competition approaches, he’s quiet. Focused. It’s in this shift that Lightfoot thrives.
- “In the early days, I’d always be joking around, having a bit of a laugh. And I found I didn’t perform that well. Then there were times, especially my first year at Semifinals, it was a bit more of a slap on the back, like “fire me up, send me out.” Okay, then I’m making execution errors – this was just too much. But on the other side, with too little, you’re not amped up enough. So I’ve had to find this nice flow state. I think the last few years we’ve gotten that right,” Lightfoot said.
This is the Lightfoot we’re expecting to see this weekend, one who is calmly and intensely honed in on a singular goal – to earn his ticket to the CrossFit Games.
French Throwdown
Lightfoot shares that as he’s been preparing for Semifinals, he’s been “training scared” – afraid that his spot could be taken by someone slightly faster, slightly stronger, or who executed slightly better – a mindset Mat Fraser has also discussed. Lightfoot finds a balance between this fear and the confidence that one of the three qualifying spots will be his. It’s that healthy balance of uncertainty and deep respect for his fellow competitors that keeps him motivated day in and day out.
For the French Throwdown, in particular, we discussed the strength of the field and how he’ll face stiff competition from his (mostly) European counterparts. Technically, this isn’t the last chance for Lightfoot and his other competitors to qualify, as there are several Semifinals left, including another in Europe and an online version. But keeping backup plans in sight dilutes his mission.
- “I think something we do well is we set our eyes on one thing, and it’s like tunnel vision, that one thing. Obviously, there is like ‘plan B’, but we just don’t even talk about it,” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot shared that in the weeks leading up to the Semifinals, training volume is down while intensity is high. He’s running through the workouts announced last week and fine-tuning the details. He and his coach do their best to simulate competition, though it’s nearly impossible.
- “I remember last year we tested Heavy Isabel in case it was going to come up in (In-Affiliate Semifinals). I said, ‘I’m gonna power snatch as many as I can. I did like three. The remaining 27 were all squat. Okay, it’s not a very good event for me anyway. Come competition day: 30 power snatches. It’s just so different. But it’s like, you’ve got a Games spot on the line. You can never mimic that in training,” Lightfoot said.
True to Himself
Amid his training, intensity, success, and brand partnerships, one priority for Lightfoot is to remain true to himself. For him, this is the true bellwether of success.
- “I go through life wanting to treat people the way I’d want to be treated. I wonder what people are going to remember about Harry Lightfoot? Hopefully not ‘oh, he’s a bit of a knob. He takes himself too seriously.’ Hopefully, it’s ‘he had a smile on his face because he was doing everything right. He was good at what he did as well,’” Lightfoot said.
Lightfoot adds that regarding his recent “life-changing” brand partnerships, he has received messages of congratulations from friends and family asking him if he feels like all his hard work and sacrifice is now validated. “Was it all worth it?” they ask.
- “I could have gone through all of this and had nothing,” Lightfoot said. “I would still be happy because at the end of the day, the idea was: we’re gonna take a jump, and try to make Games. And that was worth it. And now, the goalpost has just kept moving. To then have these dream collaborations, it’s just a bonus.”
