Last week we shared that Alessandra Pichelli is attempting to qualify for the CrossFit Games out of Italy this year. This weekend, NorCal CrossFit’s Raphael Durand shared why he is competing for France.
In a post on Instagram, Durand shares that he was born in France and lived their for a large portion of his life. And while he currently lives in Northern California and trains at NorCal CrossFit Redwood City, he decided to register as a French athlete. And in a bit of honesty, Durand does not shy away from the fact that qualifying via France is a bit easier than competing in the United States.
After 19.1, Durand was in 19th place on the French leaderboard. Last year’s CrossFit Games rookie Willy Georges was in 3rd place after the first week. Only one score has been posted so far (Monday morning) for 19.2.
To qualify to the CrossFit Games via the Open this year, an athlete will need to finish in the top 20 worldwide or finish in 1st place on their country leaderboard.
Stay tuned to The Barbell Spin as we track this story throughout the Open.
