Day Two at the Torian Pro Proves the Oceania’s Men are Fast and Strong; Crouch Heads Into Final Day in the Lead

Photo: Instagram @jaycrouch_

After hitting 3 straight events, the guys at Torian Pro officially have Day 2 in the books.

Comprised of strength, endurance, power and sprint competitions, day two emphasized that CrossFit is one, while experts may earn applause, but consistency is king.

Quick and dirty: Jay Crouch was in pink along with the other Torian Pro athletes on Day 2, but he was rocking the red on Day 3.

After a string of back-to-back finishes between 2nd and 4th—and an 8th place finish in maximum drag during Test 4—Couch tops the standings with 440 points.

Only one point difference, Bayley Martin and Jake Douglas are in second and third place with 375 and 374 points, respectively. The two muscle dealers have very similar strengths and weaknesses. Both Martin and Douglas finished outside the top 10 during Test 1 and Test 5, but dominated the three other tests over the weekend.

Consistency is key: Crouch may be an impressive 66 and 69 points ahead of second- and third-placed Martin and Douglas, but he hasn’t won a single race this weekend (yet).

Martin, on the other hand, scored the best burpee box jump on test 2. And proving his dominance in strength, Douglas was first during the Linda as well as the maximum jerk.

From the first to the sixth: Zac Thomas, who sat in first place after Tests 1 and 2, dropped five places to 6th during Day 2. With a 21st place at the Linda and 16th in maximum drag, Thomas’ weakness is his strength. With both handstand skills and toe-to-bar volume coming up on Day 3, it’s too early to knock gymnast Thomas out of a qualifying position for the Games.

Overall standings after day 2:

1. Jay Crouch: 444 points
2. Bayley Martin: 378 points
3. Jake Douglas: 375 points
4. William Kearney: 357 points
5. Reilly Smith: 333 points
6. Zac Thomas: 317 points
7. Peter Ellis: 304 points
8. Darcy Hancock: 299 points
9. Mitchell Case: 288 points
10. Isaac Newman: 282 points

Test 3

Quick singles on the clean, deliberate grip-saving pauses in the deadlift, and self (er, chest) awareness proved key for Linda.

During Test 3, first place finisher Jake Douglas was consistent. He performed cleans in metronome measure and worked his way through the bench, never letting his chest fail.

Couch finished second in the event with a time of 13:47.

Rookie of the day: First-time semi-finalist Andrew Sambell is currently ranked 16th overall. 126 points out of the qualifying place, he is not a candidate for the Games. But his bravery during Linda deserves praise.

With a time of 13:50.11, Sambell was third overall and first in his qualifier. His secret? There are no failed repetitions on the bench.

Test 3 order:

1. Jake Douglas: 13: 22.06
2. Jay Crouch: 13:47.89
3. Andrew Sambell: 13:50.11
4. William Kearney: 14:12.44
5. Bayley Martin: 14:31.01
6. The Mitchell case: 15:41.05
7. Rees Machell: 15:42.69
8. Zane Shellabear-Healey: 15:51.08
9. Reilly Smith: 16:25.00
10. Jack Clark: 16:33.73

Test 4

‘Big boys lift weights’ is a favorite rallying cry in CrossFit boxes around the world, and the troops at Torian Pro have proven it right.

During Test 4, Jake Douglas broke Jayson Hopper’s record for the test when he threw 310 pounds overhead. King of Stability should be his nickname considering how easily he moved that monster weight.

Meanwhile, Darcy Hancock tied the HWPO athlete record when he squatted 305 pounds.

Significantly, there is a 20-pound difference between second and third in this test.

Bayley Martin’s third-place finish at 285 pounds would have placed him outside the top 10 if he had competed at North America East.

Test 4 order:

1. Jake Douglas: 310 pounds
2. Darcy Hancock: 305 pounds
3. Bayley Martin: 285 pounds
4. Johan Roberts: £285
5. Riley Martin: 280 pounds
6. Isaac Newman: £275
7. Reilly Smith: 275 pounds
8. Jack Clark: 275 pounds
9. Power of Heaven Curtis: 275 pounds
10. Jayden Azzopardi: 275 pounds

Test 5

During the 5th Test, as the Oceania athletes lurked, the crowd courted.

The first, second and third place finishers in the test, Isaac Newman, James Newbury and Jay Crouch, finished within one second of each other.

Newbury’s finish of 3:06.19, however, was particularly impressive given that he made an extra jolt on #185 before arriving on the runner.

Test 4 order:

1. Isaac Newman: 3:05.53
2. James Newbury: 3:06.19
3. Jay Crouch: 3:06.38
4. Rob Watt: 3:09.35
5. William Kearny: 3:11.02
6. Peter Ellis: 3:11.54
7. Bailey O’Brien: 3:13.62
8. Matt Gilpin 3:13.93
9. Darcy Hancock: 3:15.11
10. Zac Thomas: 3:15.39

Coming: With the power-dominated events over, finishing the weekend strong has a new meaning. During Day 3, the athletes from Down Under will not be grabbing, but turning and sprinting.