Mat Fraser Reflected on Coaching Justin Medeiros to His First CrossFit Games Win
CrossFit GOAT Mat Fraser was named the Fittest Man on Earth no fewer than five times during his time competing at the CrossFit Games. So it stands to reason that in 2021, he would have some interest in the athletes who would be competing following his retirement from the sport. While he was familiar with some of the names, like CrossFit mainstay Noah Ohlsen, one rookie stood out to Fraser as a dark horse: Justin Medeiros.
"I remember going back and watching the footage after the fact and going oh, okay, this kid's the real deal," Fraser said in . "Not because of his score, but how he paced it. He stayed very consistent... He was being super efficient with the movement... I remember seeing that and thinking this kid is going to turn some heads."
After Medeiros' impressive performance at his first CrossFit Games in 2020, Fraser ended up inviting him and his coach Adam Neiffer to come to Vermont and spend four days training at his home gym in preparation for the 2021 Games. This was Fraser's "first time doing hands on work with coaches and athletes," he recalled in a recent Instagram post, resharing a video of the "training camp" he conducted with the Medeiros.
"I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from Mat... obviously he's the best to ever do it, and that's for a reason," Medeiros said during his time working with Fraser. "I think how he trains, that mindset in training, and how he goes about each workout, that's something he does different to anybody else, so coming in, these four days that I'm here, is just soaking all that in. I think everyone has those couple of workouts where that's going to stick with them forever, those grueling workouts, and I can tell he's looking forward to putting me through some of those tests this week."
Of course, we all know by now how that training paid off: Medeiros ended up winning the 2021 CrossFit Games, and is currently in prep to claim the title of Fittest Man on Earth for a second time this year.
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