The 17-year-old Chilean athlete, ranked tenth in the world, is taking part in his first CrossFit® Games.
The teenage CrossFit® Games bring together the world's best crossfitters in two age categories: 14-15 and 16-17. This year's event will take place in Michigan, USA, from August 30 to September 1. An opportunity to discover gifted young athletes who are already performing very well for their young age.
CrossFit®'s biggest prospects will be at the Teenage CrossFit® Games. These include France's Pablo Tronchon in the 14-15 category. Or Americans RJ Mestre and Ka 'Eo Subiono and Italian Lorenzo Pitruzzello in the 16-17 age group. For all, the Games are an opportunity to move from the virtual to the real, and to test themselves against the best.
Tenth in the world rankings, Chilean Fernando Tardon is South America's number 1 in the 16-17 age group, and is about to take part in his first CrossFit® Games. Ambitious, he answered our questions as he enters the home stretch of his preparation.
Hustle Up : Hi Fernando. Where are you from in Chile? Fernando Tardon : I was born in Santiago de Chile and I live in the Valparaíso region, in the town of Quillota. When did you discover CrossFit®? In 2019, I went with my mother to her first CrossFit® competition, the Arena Tournament, in the city of Concepción. I discovered all the exercises and movements of CrossFit® and I was very excited to try. What do you like most about CrossFit®? Honestly, there's no movement I don't like in CrossFit®. But if I had to choose, my favorites are classic moves like rings, HSPU or handstand walk. I also like the muscle-ups. In fact, I'm thinking there's no move I hate. If you could sum up CrossFit® in three words... State of mind, discipline, agility. When did you decide to take part in the CrossFit® Games? I did my first Open in 2020, in my gym, without any objectives. It was at the age of 14, in 2021, that I decided to sign up for the Open, and since then I've taken part every year with the aim of going as far as possible. What do the Games mean to you? For me, the Crossfit® Games are a dream I've always wanted to make come true. Ever since I started the sport, I've wanted to wear this T-shirt with the Games logo, my name and my lane number. Before the start of the competition, you're ranked 10th in the world. Is victory your goal? No, I'm not focused on any particular rank, my goal is just to get on the podium. How do you prepare for the competition? I follow the program of Brother Athletics, an Argentinean training team. My coach is Gonzalo Duro, an athlete who has taken part in the Games twice. You organized a competition and a tombola to finance your trip to the USA for the Games. How did these initiatives come about and did you manage to raise enough money? We came up with the idea with my parents and friends from my gym, because going to the CrossFit® Games is pretty expensive. In the end, I financed a large part of my travel and accommodation costs. With Fittest, we also launched a pre-sale of “Road to Chino a CrossFit® Games” t-shirts.