Winning the Open: Part 1

In 2010, former sprinter Dan Bailey won the Ohio Sectional after only a few months of CrossFitting. That performance was even more impressive considering the field included eventual 2010 Games winner Graham Holmberg and other top athletes. However, Bailey failed to place at regionals last year after a bad cramp took him out of contention for the top spots.

This year, Bailey has more CrossFit experience, and he’s going into the Central East Regional hot. Finishing first overall in the Reebok CrossFit Games Open, he notched his win by just one point over Josh Bridges.

Before the Open wrapped, the cameras were at CrossFit Legacy to catch Bailey’s preparation for the final workout. The Ohio resident shows how methodically he approached the Open workouts, and it’s clear ample preparation was key.

“There’s no questions going into Saturday. It’s like, ‘I’m ready. I’m prepared. There’s nothing else I can do. Let’s go do the workout,’” he says.

Unfortunately, Bailey’s 139-rep initial attempt at 11.6 was not enough to hold first place, but he says he’s not giving up that easily.

“To hang onto (the lead) for this long, I don’t want to lose it. Like, it’s just … that kind of internal fire,” he says.

21min 52sec

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Additional reading: Catching Up With Dan Bailey.