The 14-year-old Venezuelan athlete will be taking part in the Tennage CrossFit® Games, from August 30 to September 1.
The CrossFit® Games are, of course, the biggest CrossFit® competition in the world. The heavyweights of the discipline battle it out for overall victory. But the Games are also the biggest community gathering in the world, bringing together athletes and volunteers of all nationalities.
This year, Venezuelan Danna Martinez will be taking part for the first time in the sporting, social and cultural experience that is the Games. Aged 14, she will be taking part in the Teenage CrossFit® Games, which take place from August 30 to September 1 in Kalamazoo and Three Rivers, Michigan, USA. Hustle Up : Where did you grow up? Danna Martinez : I'm originally from the state of Bolívar, from the town of Ciudad Guayana, also known as Puerto Ordaz. When and how did you discover CrossFit®? I discovered CrossFit® in 2019 thanks to my father, who is the first member of my family to have taken up the sport. He was an athlete, then a coach in a box. When they launched CrossFit® Kids in his box, he took me there to lose weight. It was tough at first, but I grew to love CrossFit®. My mom doesn't do CrossFit®, but she's supported me from day one. What attracted you to CrossFit®? It's a sport that requires a lot of discipline and perseverance. You can't do things overnight, and you have to train harder and harder to make progress every day. When did you decide to take part in the CrossFit® Games? In fact, at first I just wanted to try it out and see how I got on, because I knew that qualifying for this competition wasn't easy. I signed up for the Open in the Teenage 14/15 category. I did all three WODs and qualified for the quarter-finals and then the semi-finals. Thank God I'm one of the 30 athletes chosen to take part in the Teenage CrossFit® Games. How did you feel before your first CrossFit® Games? I'm very excited and happy to be taking part, but also a little nervous, as it's the most important CrossFit® competition in the world. I'm the only Venezuelan athlete qualified, and I hope to put my country on the podium. Are there many CrossFit® practitioners in Venezuela? Yes, as time goes by, more and more people are taking up the sport. This can be seen at the Fitgames, Venezuela's biggest CrossFit® competition.