For the first time, an individual from Qatar has qualified for the Regionals level of the CrossFit Games competition. Steph Chung  will go on to represent Qatar and CrossFit Erada on May 24-27, competing against the top CrossFit athletes from the Middle East, Europe, and Africa in a packed stadium in Madrid, Spain.
Steph, 24, relocated to Qatar in 2014 and is proud to represent her host country in this growing sport. “It’s really exciting to make it to the next level,” says Chung. “The community here has been so supportive, I couldn’t have done it without them!”
After starting CrossFit in 2013 as a hobby, Steph began pursuing the competitive side of CrossFit just a few months after moving to Doha. “She’s put in a lot of hard work,” says her coach, Robert Anthony, “she deserves it, and we can’t wait to show the world what Qatar can do!”
The CrossFit Games is a yearly competition that stands alone as the ultimate test of fitness. The competitive season consists of three stages: The Open, Regionals, and the Games, and less than 1% of participants move past The Open and onto the Regionals stage. With events including weightlifting, gymnastics, and endurance, athletes qualifying to Regionals have proven themselves to be some of the fittest in the world. More than 324,000 athletes from around the globe competed in 2016 for a qualifying spot; of those in the Middle East and Africa, only 10 men and women earned spots on the competition floor in Madrid.
CrossFit is a functional fitness programme geared towards improving fitness and health, breaking away from traditional methods that focus solely on appearance. Scaleable to all levels and abilities, CrossFit gyms or “boxes” such as CrossFit Erada have been quickly growing, proving it’s the most effective and fun way to get in shape.