Tag: Jason Smith
Jason Smith Issues Statement on 2023 CrossFit Games Provisional Suspension
South African CrossFit athlete Jason Smith has been on the rise in the sport, coming out as one of the greatest athletes in the entire continent of Africa. He’s well known in the region as one of the premiere talents looking to make his mark on the biggest stage. However, his journey took a turn for the worse recently, as Jason revealed some unfortunate news. In a recent post made on Instagram, Smith revealed he got provisionally suspended by CrossFit and barred from the 2023 CrossFit Games after testing positive for two banned substances.
Jason Smith first made waves across the African circuit with his insane athletic abilities which secured him a spot in CrossFit’s biggest competition. He marked his maiden appearance at the CrossFit Games in 2017 and impressed with a top-ten finish overall. Smith qualified for the contest two more times but could not do enough to make the cut on each occasion.
Smith has proven to be one of the most disciplined athletes in the game. He became the highest-ranked athlete in the Men’s (35-39) category in 2019 and led the leaderboard again the next year. Then, he handily dispatched the competition at the 2021 Fittest in Cape Town Semifinal and finished runner-up the following year. He turned in a commanding performance at the 2023 Africa Semifinal, taking the win with 96 points more than runner-up Conrad Winnertz.
2023 CrossFit Games are set to take place Aug. 1-6 in Madison, Wisconsin. The most elite CrossFit athletes will battle it out for the most prestigious titles in the sport. Reigning two-time champion Justin Medeiros targets securing the third title. However, there are some noticeable names missing from the lineup. Jason Smith is a special case this year though, as he is the first athlete so far who qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games, but will not compete due to a positive drug test.
Mal O’Brien announced her withdrawal from the 2023 CrossFit Semifinals and the entire season two months ago. Although she had been on top of the leaderboard for the majority of the season, she chose to skip the show due to personal challenges.
CrossFit veteran Noah Ohlsen announced his plans to move away from the Individual division to Team and revealed 2023 would mark his final season competing in the Individual category last October.
Reigning Six-time Fittest On Earth Tia-Clair Toomey was targeting to win the seventh title at the 2023 CrossFit Games but took to the sidelines because of her pregnancy in December 2022.
Earlier this year, Haley Adams pulled out of the upcoming Games to focus on her mental and physical health. She opened up about experiencing higher levels of anxiety and battling an eating disorder due to the pressure of getting higher placements. In addition, other athletes like Ricky Garard and Kara Saunders have also withdrawn from this year’s CrossFit Games
Jason Smith Issues Statement on 2023 CrossFit Games Provisional Suspension
In a recent Instagram post, Jason Smith revealed CrossFit suspended him and ruled him out of the 2023 CrossFit Games after he tested positive for two banned substances.
CrossFit announced early Friday morning that Smith “provided a sample at the competition that contained exogenous 5a-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5aAdiol) and 5b-androstane-3a,17b-diol (5bAdiol).
Smith will appeal the decision but remains provisionally suspended and barred from the upcoming games.
“Completely shattered. Speechless and have so many questions,” wrote Smith. “I have been living in a nightmare the past week after receiving a [sic] email from CrossFit to say I’ve failed a drug test almost 2 months after Semifinals, and will not be competing at the CrossFit Games. For anyone who knows me, knows how against using Performance Enhancers I am to gain any advantage in sport or CrossFit. I have competed in CrossFit for 14 years, I own 2 CrossFit gyms, and have only encouraged health and fitness through CrossFit training. There is no reason for me to do this, or current explanation of how this has happened. I am getting legal and medical advice and will be appealing the decision by CrossFit.
“This is not an apology nor am I seeking sympathy. I do however appreciate those who support me during this time as this is something I’ve never imagined to have happened or to deal with, but I will get to the bottom of this!”
Conrad Winnertz was offered to replace Smith but declined due to an injury. It is unclear who will replace Smith at the 2023 CrossFit Games at the time of this writing.
Brooke Wells was forced to the sidelines after not advancing further at the 2023 CrossFit North America East Semifinal two months ago. She later revealed she picked up a foot injury in the first event, which compromised her performance. However the last remaining details for the 2023 CrossFit Games are being fine tuned, as the Individual and Teams workouts for the 2023 CrossFit Games got announced days ago as well.
Published: 28 July, 2023 | 6:47 PM EDT
2023 CrossFit Africa Semifinal Results — Jason Smith & Michelle Basnett Qualify For CrossFit Games
The 2023 CrossFit Africa Semifinal took place on May 19-21, in South Africa, and gathered this continent’s greatest CrossFit athletes. However, only the winners of both the men’s and women’s divisions earned qualification for the 2023 CrossFit Games. Consequently, dozens of elite athletes gave their all in the hopes of securing the exclusive top spot. However, Jason Smith and Michelle Basnett won their respective men’s and women’s divisions and thus qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Jason Smith had no problems in winning the men’s division of the 2023 CrossFit Africa Semifinal. He won two of the events and claimed impressive top-10 finishes in all of the remaining five events. In the end, his point tally came out to 596, while his closest rival, Conrad Winnertz, had 500.
Michelle Basnett, however, had to grind to get her victory. She accumulated an impressive 613 points with three event victories, but still had a few athletes narrowly following her. However, Michelle proved to be the most consistent in the field and rightfully earned her place at the 2023 CrossFit Games.
2023 CrossFit Africa Semifinal Leaderboards
Men
Note: Only the winner of the men’s division qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Jason Smith — 596 points
Conrad Winnertz — 500 points
Ruan Potgieter — 497 points
Darren Zurnamer — 482 points
Josh Kernot — 475 points
Daniel Griesel — 474 points
James Van Dongen — 466 points
Justin Holliday — 433 points
Dutoit Botha — 418 points
Assem Effat — 413 points
Ruan Conradie — 366 points
Matthew Schiff — 350 points
Damien Botes — 348 points
Driss Bouchiah — 333 points
Julian Liebenberg — 333 points
Women
Note: Only the winner of the women’s division qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Michelle Basnett — 613 points
Mariska Smit — 596 points
Gilmari Reyneke — 580 points
Christina Livaditakis — 570 points
Tanha Bouffe — 507 points
Gemma Rader — 497 points
Emma Holliday — 492 points
Megan Joy McDermott — 418 points
Megan Faul — 411 points
Alicia Stoop — 408 points
Maxx Klynsmith — 380 points
Ingy Hossam Eldin — 362 points
Mary Jamieson — 355 points
Sofia Bennani — 553 points
Laura Hume — 345 points
Teams
CrossFit FBDV Mayhem Africa — 580 points
Cape CrossFit Wolfpack — 555 points
CrossFit 10 Star Hybrids — 530 points
CrossFit Tijger Valley Synergy — 530 points
CrossFit Juggernaut Unstoppable — 490 points
Pack Life CrossFit Wanderers — 380 points
Cape CrossFit Werewolves — 335 points
Motley Crew CrossFit Red — 330 points
CrossFit Zulu — 325 points
CrossFit 111 Relentless — 320 points
Related: 2023 CrossFit North America East Semifinal — Full Results
Individual Division Tests (Workouts) Recap
TEST ONE
For time:
3,000-meter Echo Bike
Hand-Over-Hand Pull (84 feet)
2,000-meter Assault AirRunner
Hand-Over-Hand Pull (84 feet)
1,000-meter SkiErg
Hand-Over-Hand Pull (92 feet)
Time cap: 30 minutes
Women: 180 pounds
Men: 225 pounds
Men’s Results
Jason Smith — 25:56
Daniel Griesel — 26:30
Estian Ferreira — 26:41
Women’s Results
Gilmari Reyneke — CAP+14
Alicia Stoop — CAP+14
Maxx Klynsmith — CAP+14
TEST TWO
As many reps as possible in 3 minutes of:
5 Ring Complexes (1 Toe-To-Ring, 1 Muscle-Up, 1 Ring Dip)
20 Single-Leg Squats
Max Burpees Over Box
*Complete 3 rounds, resting 1 minute between rounds.
*Score is total reps across the 3 minutes.
Women Wear a 10-pound ruck, 24-inch box
Men Wear a 20-pound ruck, 30-inch box
Men’s Results
Ruan Potgieter — 42 reps
Darren Zurnamer — 38 reps
Jason Smith — 34 reps
Women’s Results
Christina Livaditakis — 36 reps
Michelle Basnett — 28 reps
Gilmari Reyneke — 28 reps
TEST THREE
For time:
Semifinals Linda — 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps of:
Deadlifts
Dumbbell Bench Presses
Squat Cleans
Time cap: 17 minutes
Women: 220-pound deadlifts, 60-pound dumbbells, 105-pound squat cleans
Men: 295-pound deadlifts, 90-pound dumbbells, 145-pound squat cleans
Men’s Results
Kealan Henry — 15:15
Justin Holliday — 16:29
Ruan Conradie — 16:47
Women’s Results
Megan Faul — CAP+3
Gemma Rader — CAP+11
Christina Livaditakis — CAP+16
TEST FOUR
For load:
Run 800 meters
Max Snatch
Time cap: 6 minutes
After the time cap for test four clocked out, the athletes had just two minutes to rest before initiating Test Five.
Men’s Results
Elsayed Hasona — 278 pounds
Darren Zurnamer — 269 pounds
Ruan Potgieter — 269 pounds
Women’s Results
Michelle Basnett — 179 pounds
Mariska Smit — 176 pounds
Christina Livaditakis — 172 pounds
TEST FIVE
For time:
8 Snatches
Run 800 meters
Time cap: 6 minutes
Women: 125-pound snatch
Men: 185-pound snatch
Men’s Results
Justin Holliday — 3:24
Dutoit Botha — 3:29
Matthew Schiff — 3:34
Women’s Results
Mariska Smit — 3:59
Gilmari Reyneke — 4:00
Emma Holliday — 4:21
TEST SIX
For time:
20 Overhead Squats
500-meter Row
Three Handstand-Walk Pirouettes
Two Seated Legless Rope Climbs
20 Strict Chest-To-Wall Handstand Push-Ups
Two Seated Legless Rope Climbs
Three Handstand-Walk Pirouettes
500-meter Row
20 Overhead Squats
Time cap: 15 minutes (Men) — 16 minutes (Women)
Women: 125-pound Squat
Men: 185-pound Squat
Men’s Results
Ruan Potgieter — 11:05
Darren Zurnamer — 12:54
Conrad Winnertz — 13:17
Women’s Results
Michelle Basnett — CAP+3
Christina Livaditakis — CAP+4
Mariska Smit — CAP+9
TEST SEVEN
Three rounds for time of:
Echo Bike Calories (Men: 15 calories / Women: 10 calories)
20 Toes-To-Bar
60-Foot Sandbag Bear-Hug Carry
Women: 150-pound Sandbag
Men: 200-pound Sandbag
Men’s Results
Jason Smith — 4:29
Josh Kernot — 4:34
Ruan Potgieter — 4:42
Women’s Results
Michelle Basnett — 5:08
Gemma Rader — 5:10
Christina Livaditakis — 5:16
Related: How to Watch the 2023 CrossFit Semifinals
The first week and two of the Semifinal competitions are already done. So, 13 men and 12 women have already qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games. The total number of spots at the Games will be 40 in each division, so the next two weeks will determine the full roster. We still have five more Semifinal competitions set to take place, which will fill out the remaining qualifying spots.
Published: 23 May, 2023 | 9:37 AM EDT