Greece, home of ancient and modern sport, recently hosted the Athens Throwdown 2019, one of the main ones international events dedicated to Crossfit. The final of the event, which saw athletes from all over the world participate, took place from 12 to 14 April. Individual and team competitions are scheduled, with a jackpot total 41.900 Euro.
Index
Athens Throwdown: the results
in the category Elite Man, won by the Greek Giorgos Karavis (Crossfit Comradery), the best Italian athletes are:
#40 Jacopo Vincenzi (Crossfit La Spezia)
#47 Bruno Imbimbo (Box 00144)
As for women, in the category Elite Woman, won by Karin Frey (Crossfit Alphaprime), our Italian crossfitter positioned themselves as follows:
# 4 Manila Pennacchio (Crossfit Carpi)
#19 Rachele Brambilla (CrossFit Mechanics)
#30 Francesca Marchiori (Cantieri Crossfit)
we at Crossmag.it we were able to contact some of the athletes who took part in the event who, with great availability, answered our questions.
Interview with Jacopo Vincenzi
The WOD I liked the most was, without a shadow of a doubt, the 3K run, where I finished second. The ones that I liked the least were: the ceiling of "Clean and jerk" and the 3 minutes of "Amrap ring muscle-up".
Have you already competed abroad?
Yes, I had already participated in the Athens Throwdown last year. I also took part in the French Throwdown.
Did you expect the victory of Giorgos Karavis? The final victory between him and Lazar Dukic was uncertain until the end.
Honestly no, I expected Dukic to win!
Giorgos won by 1 point! Where do you think he earned it compared to the opponent?
I believe in the latest event: "Jackie".
How do you rate your season so far?
Quite positive .. although the Athens Throwdowns made me discover so many gaps that I didn't think I had.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about?
I have to congratulate all the Athens Throwdown staff. Really impeccable .. The most beautiful race I've ever participated in. Always on time. They did nothing wrong!
Interview with Rachele Brambilla
Hi Rachel, how did it go in Athens?
I am very satisfied with this 19th place. My goal was to be able to stay in the top 20 and I achieved it great! Furthermore, competing with certain "animals" (if we can say so) was really stimulating and beautiful.
Who did you think won Athens 2019?
For the victory I was very undecided until the end, between Karin and Camilla. Both are top level athletes. In my opinion, the last WOD made a lot of difference. Karin, being very tall, had an advantage and I think she has no rivals on the rower.
What was the most difficult moment of the competition?
It was when, on the second day, there was the ceiling. I was in warm up and I didn't even get the weight I wanted to start with, that is 75kg. So I decided to talk to the coach and I calmed down. We agreed to lower the starting weight. I started with 69 kg, then I tried with 75 kg and this time I had no problems. Then I tried 79, which I didn't get on because I was really cooked. I didn't give up, also because I was aware that I could do well with the rings, where I am strong, and in fact I finished in 4th place, just behind Camilla. For me it was therefore a great satisfaction.
Interview with Francesca Marchiori
Hi, Francesca, how did you approach sport in general and then at Crossfit?
I have always played sports, since I was a child. I started with artistic gymnastics and then with athletics.
At Crossfit I casually approached 5 years ago, when he opened the box, where I currently work: Cantieri crossfit.
Can you tell me more about how you found Athens?
I left alone, organizing the trip in half a day, last week. There I was lucky enough to meet a lot of exceptional people. I made friends with some Italian athletes whom I will meet again very soon and with some guys from the organization.
Which WOD did you like the most?
In Athens the event I preferred was wod 2:
750 m bike erg
15 burpees bar facing
15 clean 55 kg
500 m bike eeg
12 burpees bar facing
12 clean 65 kg
250 m bike erg
9 burpees
9 clean 75 kg
Tell us your impressions
It was the first time I faced a race alone without a coach. I started with a bit of anxiety and fear, but I am very satisfied with the way I faced the 3 race days.
I kept my cool and tried to do my best in every wod. Exciting to compete with all international level athletes. Overall satisfied with my placement, I return home even more aware of all the work that needs to be done to improve, day after day.