Day 1 at the 2023 Down Under Championship is in the books. The elite individuals and teams took on two events Friday, beginning with an outdoor down an back chipper that featured a beach run on the Tasman Sea coast. Event two brought them inside for a sprint workout full of deadlifts and calories on the C2 BikeErg.
The biggest news coming out of Wollongong, however, was that Jake Douglas withdrew after the first event. According to Douglas, he sprained his sacroiliac joint (SI joint) while working through the 20 d-ball over-the-shoulder in the middle of the workout. Douglas finished the event, but well behind the the top athletes.
Douglas was looking forward to getting back on the competition for the first time since his rookie debut at the CrossFit Games. But unfortunately that was short-lived this weekend. But for those attending the Down Under Championship in-person, Douglas will be there the rest of the weekend to meet fans and spend time with his sponsors in the vendor area.
As for the leaderboard itself, defending Down Under Champion, Maddie Sturt, picked up where she left off last year. Sturt earned two event wins on Friday to take home 200 points going into the weekend. She leads Aimee Cringle and Grace Walton in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Emily de Rooy, the only female individual athlete from the 2023 CrossFit Games in the field, struggled on Friday where she took an 8th in Event 1 followed by a 13th place finish on Event 2. She sits in 9th overall.
Women’s Leaderboard
1) Madeline Sturt – 200 pts
2) Aimee Cringle – 185
3) Grace Walton – 175
4) Jaime Goodwin – 166
5) Marnie Sykes – 165
***Notable Athletes***
7) Anikha Greer – 142
8) Taylor Williamson – 135
9) Emily de Rooy – 132
On the men’s side, Peter Ellis is showing that he has been working hard since his 5th place finish at Torian Pro this year and will be vying for a qualifying spot to the Games in 2024. Ellis won Event 1 handily, beating 2nd place by 1:45. He followed that up with a 3rd place finish in Event 2 and stands atop the leaderboard with 190 points. He is trailed by Jonathan Dunlop in 2nd place and Johann Van Zyl in 3rd place.
Women’s Leaderboard
1) Peter Ellis – 190 pts
T2) Jonathan Dunlop – 175
T2) Johann Van Zyl – 175
4) Zane Shellabear-Healey – 170
5) Luke de Jonge – 159
***Notable Athletes***
7) Zac Thomas – 149
WD) Jake Douglas
Full leaderboard can be found here.
Moving to the teams, Team Frog Grips is tied with Ombre Hombres after two events. Each team has a 1st and 2nd place finish so far and now have 195 points on the leaderboard. Ricky Garard’s team, A Coupla Dogs, is in 3rd place with 175 points.
The women’s elite team leaderboard has a three-way tie for 1st place. Nexletica Gold, California Gurls and Starr Strength Fitness Alley all have 190 points after Day 1.
Both elite individuals and teams will take on three events on Saturday. You can Saturday’s live stream below.
