The CrossFit Games Open 2015 is over, and the leaderboards are final. Here are some of the Canada East athletes, rookies or veterans you should follow at Regionals as they might have what it takes to make their way to the Games.
Men category
You have to know about the guys like Paul Tremblay, Simon Paquette or Albert Dominic Larouche; great athletes who have proven their fitness with several appearances at the CrossFit Games over the years. But they have a serious competition since last year with Alex Vigneault, a former hockey player who has always loved high-intensity sport.
Alex Vigneault
Alex Vigneault, a 22-year-old, surprised everyone when he won the 2014 Open in Canada East. That was his first appearance. He finished third last year at the Regionals, one spot away from going to the CrossFit Games.
This year he tied for first with Albert-Dominic Larouche and he’s ready to make it.
It’s the ultimate goal to go to the Games… Everyone wants to go there. Being one spot away last year motivates me even more this year. I have more experience and I know myself better: my limits and what I can do. ~ Alex Vigneault
Alex has the determination and knows he needs to perform well in all upcoming Regional workouts without necessarily winning every single one of them: “Untill Regionals, I’m working on my strength but it’s not that I will change one of my weakness now, it’s all the work I did during the year that counts. »
Alex Vignault is also looking forward to perform alongside Mat Fraser, one of the athletes he finds inspiring.
Follow him on Instagram: @vigneaultalex
Women category
First name that pops up is the Games veteran Michele Letendre. With five appearances in Carson, and her forth place last year, she is the Canadian athlete everyone will keep an eye on this season, especially since Camille Leblanc-Bazinet is competing at another region.
But there are two new names that most of the people got to know during the Open 2015: Maude Charron and Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault.
Maude Charron
Maude Charron surprised everyone by winning 15.1 with 223 reps and a 240lbs (108kg) clean and jerk. The 21-year-old is a former acrobat who in 2013 was inspired by the top 2 Canada East athletes, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet and Michèle Letendre, and worked hard since then to be able to perform alongside those two athletes.
In 2014, she reached that goal by going to the Regionals and finished 6th overall.
This year, she worked hard on her weakness, her engine, to be able to go through long-chipper workouts. Maude finished third in the 2015 Open Canada East region, and 20th worldwide, far up from the 10th and 168th place she had in 2014. She’s working hard on all her weaknesses and her rankings are here to prove that.
Maude Charron is willing to give everything to go as far as possible.
Follow her on instagram: @m_charron28
Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault
First in Canada East and fifth worldwide. The 27-year-old athlete is a former boxer with an engine and the strength, both developed before she started Crossfit. Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault placed top 50 in 2013, and top 40 in 2014 Open. With each year she also improved her CrossFit Regionals performance: 26th in 2013, 15th in 2014.
This year she worked hard on her main weakness: gymnastics. She want to go the the Games, but even going back to the Regionals is a huge reward for Carol-Ann, along with winning the open in Canada East and placing 5th Worldwide.
She’s a Crossfit coach who dedicated her life to this sport and has come a long way since 2013: we think she’ll be a tough contender for the East Super Regionals coming up in three weeks.
Follow her on instagram: @reason_caro
Teen category
Mickael Sarrazin
He finished first worldwide, and of course won Canada East region in the teenage category 16-17. He is only 17 years old, but have already been to the Regionals before with his Deka CrossFit team at the early age of 15.
This year he had a choice: be part of the Deka Team or participate in the teen division. He chose the teens as it is his first and last year he’s allowed to do it, and because he had a good shot of finishing first in Canada East.
He did it, and moreover, he won worldwide teen 16-17 category. And as the last minute surprise, he was invited to the CrossFit Games with ten other teens in his category, with the chance of becoming the World’s Fittest teenager!
With his competition experience as a member of Deka CrossFit Team and the scores he had at the Open 2015 workouts, he has a pretty good shot at it. He surely is the future of Crossfit.
Team category
Last but not least, you might want to follow team Pro1 Montréal.
Team CrossFit Pro1 Montréal
Team CrossFit Pro1 Montréal went to the Games last year by finishing 5th at the Open and first at Canada East Regionals. They finished 18th at the CrossFit Games.
They won Open 2015 and placed 10th worldwide. Team CrossFit Pro1 Montréal have high ranked athletes like Mirakim Couvrette (#5 Canada East, #59 worldwide), Stéphanie Roy (#11 Canada East,#136 worldwide), Ericka Letendre (sister of Michèle, #10 Canada East, #95 worldwide), kinball player Fanny Girard (#12 Canada East, #144 worldwide), the well-known coach Roch Proteau (#42 Canada East), former ultimate fighter Dominic Trepanier (#9 Canada East), former professional weightlifter Zachary Hebert (#64 Canada East) and Karim El-Himli (#66 Canada East).
They all have Regionals and Games experience, individually and as a team, and a good prep routine with a competition-like training every Saturday. CrossFit Pro1 won the Firebreather 2015, a high level RX competition in Montréal.
Watching out for each other and having a good connected team performance is their number 1 priority. They’ve been to the Games last year and all they want now is to go back there.
“Since last year, I’m driven by the feeling I’ve felt when we won the CrossFit Regionals, and I just want to re-live that felling again. – Stéphanie Roy
There are many great Crossfit athletes to follow from the Canada East region, so stay tuned for May 22-24 when they will battle in East Regional for the tickets that lead to Carson, California.
Photo credits: CrossFit Inc., 1 Rep Map
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