Photo Credits: Nikolaj Rønnow
By Maysa Hannawi
The world of functional fitness has spun on the axis of CrossFit Headquarters for over a decade. Four months ago that changed. Coming off a CrossFit Games that changed the way people viewed not only the corporation, but the sport, there was a spotlight put on all events to follow.
The Dubai Fitness Championship was one of the first major competitions elite level athletes participated in following the Games. In true Dubai fashion, the competition started with a brutal test of fitness in a venue so beautiful it almost looked photoshopped. The “20 minute FTP” test at damper 10 on the Aura SkyPool Dubai deck, overlooking the palm island, kicked off nine events, three-day competition with sweat, tears, pain and passion. If you’re someone who likes watching suffering, it was delivered on a silver platter in event one.
On the women’s side, Karin Freyova’s biggest threat, Matilde Garnes, came into the weekend fighting off sickness, leaving little in the way of her three-peat win. Known for her weightlifting, Freyova showed she came to play when she tied for second on event one, a very cardio heavy test.
Throughout the grueling weekend of fitness, 2014 DFC champion, Jamie Simmonds, did what she does best, climbed the leaderboard. Simmonds found herself in a podium position after the first two days. When the final event was announced and it began with 20 bar muscle-ups, it all but guaranteed her the second place position; no one cycles muscles-ups as fast as the Kiwi. Garnes held her own through sickness and ended the weekend in third, her second career podium finish in Dubai (2nd 2022), and something she later stated was her goal going into this competition.
Both the men’s and women’s fields could not have been more diverse, showcasing athletes from 24 countries, successfully solidifying Dubai as not only the melting pot of the world, but of competitive functional fitness. The entire competition had a sense of cultural camaraderie and mutual respect that was much needed for the athletes mental state and morale.
While there were phenomenal athletes representing six different continents, the story of the weekend was Luka Ðukić . Not only is Ðukić a great athlete in his own right, he is the brother of Lazar Ðukić who we lost in a tragedy at the Games four months ago. Luka’s return to competition came with a lot of questions.
Luka answered.
With a dominant performance including five top-five finishes and an event win he found himself standing on top of the podium on Sunday night. He not only showcased his fitness, but his grit, his desire, his humility and his ability to put severe trials and triumphs on the same competition floor. His victory was bittersweet, filling the stadium with pride for the new champion, as well as a reminder of his brother, who did not get the chance to become one.
In an instagram post holding his trophy to the sky, Luka wrote “This weekend I won our favorite one, yet I would swap it for one second with you. I love you.”
It is always about more than fitness, and the Dubai Fitness Championship allowed for it to also be about remembrance and celebration of life.
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