Bethany Branham just qualified for the CrossFit Games this past weekend. Branford finished 4th in the South Regional after winning the South Central region during the CrossFit Open. Branham is relatively new to the Sport of Fitness as she began competing in CrossFit just a couple years ago in 2015.
In just her third competitive season, Branham has moved up from 228th in the South Central during the 2015 Open to 41st last year and now 1st in 2017. Branham followed her Open performance with a strong showing at her first Regional competition. Her best finish was 2nd on Event 4 and was in the mix all weekend long.
But what did Branham do before CrossFit? According to Branham’s CrossFit Games profile, she did eight years of gymnastics, three years of bodybuilding, four triathlons, several half marathons and “years of personal training”. And she did all of this plus two years of CrossFit by the age of 23!
We were able to track down her results and some photos of her at her bodybuilding competitions. Bethany competed before she was married and went by her maiden name, Shadburne. Her best finish was 2nd at the 2013 NPC Texas Shredder Classic. She also took 3rd at two other events. Here is a link to more photos from her bodybuilding competitions.
Branham has apparently always been very athletic, even going back to her childhood days as a gymnast. In the January/February 2002 issue of USA Gymnastics magazine, Branham (then Shadburne) was nationally recognized as one of about 60 Diamond Level Athletes in the 7-8 year old category.
So keep an eye on Branham at this year’s CrossFit Games and in the future. Based on her previous athletic ventures she has been successful and it appears that the Sport of Fitness may be no different.
