CrossFit Games 2019: Tia-Clair Toomey looks unbeatable and other talking points from day three

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  • Tia-Clair Toomey shone on the third day of the Reebok CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.

    The Australian, who won two events on Saturday, is now staring history in the face as she continues her march towards a third successive title.

    Here, we look at the key talking points from day three.

    TIA IS TOO GOOD

    Toomey was in scintillating form on day three, extending her lead over Kristin Holte to 85 points in the overall standings.

    The Queensland native was composed and confident throughout Saturday’s workouts, opening the morning with a third in the Sprint and then following it up with triumphs in the Split Triplet and the Clean events.

    Toomey overcame an early mistake on the peg board to win the Split Triplet with relative ease. From rounds one to round five, there was no difference in the 26-year-old’s form and she looked so focused and controlled.

    In the Clean event, she battled superbly with Amanda Barnhart and showed good leg drive, pulling herself under the bar well and not wilting under the intense pressure of the final 265-pound lift to clinch a second straight win.

    Judging by her devastating performances on Saturday, she already has one hand on the trophy.

    FRASER CLAWS HIS WAY BACK

    The reigning champion Mat Fraser is back on the tail of leader Noah Ohlsen heading into the final day.

    The Tennessee resident, trailing by just 15 points, is lurking closer and now looks in prime position to seal a fourth crown.

    In typically dominant Fraser fashion, he showed that back-to-back champion side of him in winning the Split Triplet and Clean events.

    He’s had some incredible moments in the coliseum over the years and, backed by a roaring crowd, those few seconds after he cleared 385-pounds to win the clean event will certainly be right up there for career memories.

    Sunday will be a ripper in the men’s event.

    TEST OF NOAH’S MENTAL STRENGTH

    Still the leader going into the final day but Fraser is creeping back.

    The Miami man performed well in the Sprint, finishing third, but made an early error in the Split Triplet workout, missing the last peg on the board to lose valuable time. Still, he responded well and was able to notch second overall behind Fraser.

    In the Clean workout, he showed promising form for large spells but failed to clear 335-pounds and had to settle for fifth.

    The popular 28-year-old will have the Madison crowd behind him on Sunday as he chases a maiden Games crown. If he is to prevail, he needs to stay mentally strong and not let Fraser’s energy and aggression derail his confidence.

    DAVIDSDOTTIR STILL IN IT

    The two-time champion is not dead in the water just yet.

    After three workouts on Saturday, she kept climbing up the leaderboard and now sits in fifth overall ahead of the final day.

    When the pressure was at its highest, Davidsdottir stepped up to the challenge to clinch formidable third and fourth place finishes in the Split Triplet and Clean events. She is now just 57 points off a potential podium place.

    The Iceland native showed her mettle in the Split Triplet – five rounds for time of one pegboard ascent, 100 double-unders, 10 single-arm dumbbell hang split snatches, 10 single-arm dumbbell hang clean and split jerks in under 20 minutes.

    And she then followed it up with fourth on the Clean event, where she looked comfortable until failing at the 230-pound mark alongside Anna Fragkou.

    Lying in the top-five gives her an opportunity to bounce back on the final day, and who knows what a bit of extra belief and some luck can do.

    WHO MISSED THE FINAL CUT?

    The first event of the day cut the remaining field of athletes in half from 20 to 10.

    One of the pre-Games favourites, Sara Sigmundsdottir, was a notable casualty. The Iceland native went into the third day of competition in 20th place and needed to perform well in the Sprint in order to secure any chance of advancing to the final ten.

    Unfortunately she didn’t progress beyond the morning workout, and with the 2011 and 2012 champion Annie Thorisdottir also bowing out, the competition will be without two of its most popular stars on Sunday.

    Danielle Brandon, Carolyne Prevost, Alessandra Pichelli, Laura Horvath, Brooke Wells, Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault, Samantha Briggs and Emily Rolfe were also eliminated after event one.

    On the men’s side, Cole Sager, Travis Mayer, Sam Kwant, Logan Collins, Chandler Smith, Patrick Vellner, Lukas Hogberg, Joshua Wichtrup, Elliot Simmonds and Casper Gammelmark all failed to break into the top-ten.

    Vellner, the 2018 Games runner-up, was expected to threaten a podium position in 2019 but could not force a top-ten finish in any event since the first cut on Thursday. The Canadian needs to regroup and change his strategy for this new format again next year.

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