ICYMI – In case you missed it, CrossFit teenager extraordinaire, Tony La Rosa from Philippines competed at the X45 Challenge in Malaysia and finished in a very commendable fifth place in the Open category. The competition from the veterans was fierce and intense but he kept his cool to outlast many familiar names.
The 17-year old from Cebu trains at The StayFit Box had tied for third place among seasonal CrossFit athletes from around the region in the qualifying rounds. The high intensity 2-day CrossFit competition was held in conjunction with the Sabah Fitness Festival in Kota Kinabalu, testing athletes in functional, gymnastic and weightlifting based movements over five events.
TA: Tell us, how did you get into CrossFit?
Tony: I heard about it from my uncle who lost 20 pounds in a few months from doing CrossFit and he told me to try it out. I went to The StayFit Box Cebu and fell in love with CrossFit. I love everything about Crossfit, especially the community.
TA: What’s your main reason for competing at X45?
Tony: I have been in four competitions prior to X45. I have not competed in an international competition before so I wanted to give X45 a go. I also love to compete and to compare my fitness level with other athletes.
TA: What happened at X45 last year and how did you use that to inspire yourself this time?
Tony: Last year I tried to qualify for the scaled division and I was 1st, but they reviewed my videos and had to change my score to zero because I did not execute the movements properly.
I was very disappointed, but I told myself that I will try again next year and I won’t make the same mistake again. I wanted to show them that last year wasn’t a fluke and I deserve a qualifying spot.
TA: You’re a teenager going against some of the strongest CrossFit athletes in the region. Did that intimidate you?
Tony: Not at all! I was super excited to go up against such great athletes and get to know them.
Knowing that I was the youngest competitor made me want to prove to them that I belong on the competition floor with them.
TA: What’s your favourite discipline or movement in CrossFit?
Tony: This is hard… I love everything! But if I had to choose, I would say my favorite movement are ring muscle ups.
TA: Tell us about the best part of your first X45 Challenge
Tony: Definitely the first event with Thrusters, Bar Over Burpees, Box Jump Overs and Handstand Walks as I was in lead the whole time. That helped to settle any nervous nerves I had at the beginning.
Overall, I had an amazing experience at my first 2-day competition. I went all out on the first day and was sore and tired on the second day so I didn’t do well. But, I got to meet a lot of cool athletes face to face, previously I’ve only met them online.
TA: What did you struggle with most in X45?
Tony: After Event 2, I injured my hands badly from the multiple Pull-Ups, the wounds were quite deep and it was bleeding profusely. I had it wrapped up and took painkillers, but it didn’t help at all.
Thereafter, I struggled to finish the Snatch Ladder in Event 3. The last bar was also smaller than the standard size so it was hard for me to grip the bar.
Also, I found that I lacked experience in pacing myself throughout the 2 days of competition, being my first. Everyone else seemed to have more experience from years of competing. I’ll be going back to the grind and training with more double sessions to learn to cope with 2-day competitions.
TA: Tell us something no one knows (yet) about you
Tony: No one really knows that I enjoy cooking from time to time. I really enjoy making beef burgers with ketchup, mustard, relish, lettuce, tomatoes and topped with caramelized onions inspired by In and Out. I also just started my burger business called Wild Side Burgers.
Look out for Tony next at the Coaches Throwdown, a 2-day CrossFit competition organised by CrossFit Infinitas in Quezon city, Philippines.
