For the first time, the 2019 CrossFit Open crowned National Champions at the conclusion of the worldwide competition, marking CrossFit’s expansive and inclusive global nature and a proud victory for the 236 individuals who earned the right to represent their country at the 2019 Games in Madison, Wisconsin.
The 2019 Open began Feb. 21, spanning five weeks and featuring five tests of fitness. The Open is the single largest participatory test of fitness on the planet and is open to anyone with garage gym equipment and a will to pursue a challenge. Individuals from all cultures and walks of life unite in competition, drawn to the universality of the CrossFit methodology. It begins in the 15,000 CrossFit affiliates around the world and ends in a celebration of those individuals and communities at the CrossFit Games.
Many athletes joined the competition with the pride of their country in mind. Kila Kilaverave performed workouts in front of his community in Papua New Guinea, utilizing a basketball hoop for toes-to-bars. Throwdowns and head-to-head match-ups took place, including one heated tiebreaker that determined Ireland’s male champion in the final week of competition. Results were submitted on March 26, beginning the competition verification process that concluded on May 2.
Many of the participating countries will have individual representation at the CrossFit Games for the first time. Quad racer and member of CrossFit Berserk Emma McQuaid has earned a chance to compete at the CrossFit Games representing Ireland. Gabriela Migala was the third-fittest teen at the CrossFit Games in 2016, and now she will represent Poland as an individual at the Games. Shingo Moromasa, a gymnast and stuntman from Japan, also has the chance to represent his country at this international competition. And by finishing as National Champions in the U.S. and Australia, respectively, defending champs Mathew Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey have taken a big step toward reclaiming their title of Fittest on Earth.
No National Champion comes to the CrossFit Games alone. Every champion represents a different country, and each champion emerged from a different CrossFit affiliate in their respective countries. Every athlete has a coach, friends, and family who stand behind them and take great pride in their achievements. The 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games will be the greatest expression to date of our community’s diversity, as well as the greatest test of fitness to determine the Fittest on Earth.
Congratulations to the following female and male competitors. As of May 1, 2019, they are officially National Champions, the fittest athletes in their country.
