The Down Under Championship Men’s Team of 3 competition just got more interesting. Saxon Panchik, who had already committed to competing at the Down Under Championship back in August, has now teamed up with Chandler Smith and Noah Ohlsen. The team will head into the competition as the hands-down favorite in the men’s team competition.
The announcement was made shortly after it was shared that Will Moorad will not be making the trip out to Australia to compete. Moorad and Panchik, both PRVN athletes, were planning on competing since August. It was expected that the two PRVN athletes would find a third athlete to join them in the team division.
But with Moorad’s withdrawal, Smith and Ohlsen appear to have stepped in. As for why Moorad will not be making the trip, a story on Down Under Championship’s Instagram page indicated that it was due to an injury. However, that story has since been pulled down. A request for comment from Moorad has not been returned.
All three athletes, Smith, Ohlsen and Panchik, are coming off competing at the 2022 Rogue Invitational where Smith ended up taking 2nd place overall. As for Panchik, it was revealed that he competed over the weekend sick with COVID.
The Down Under Championship begins Friday, November 18 in Wollongong, Australia. The event will be live streamed for those who aren’t in Australia. Stay tuned for more details on the live stream.
