In Fort Worth, Texas, the American athlete will be competing in the CrossFit® Games for the sixth consecutive time.
This is the story of a brotherhood of successful CrossFit® athletes. First there's Scott Panchik, 37 years old and 10 CrossFit® Games appearances, the last in 2023 in the masters 35-39 category.
Then there are twins Saxon and Spencer Panchik, 28, who are also top-level athletes.
While Spencer has taken part in the Crossfit® Games twice (2022, 2023), Saxon has become a regular at the event, which he is preparing to compete in for the sixth time running. Originally from Ohio, Saxon and Spencer discovered CrossFit® through an accident. The story could have been different, but the benefits of the discipline won them over and they never stopped CrossFit®.
As he prepares for the CrossFit® Games 2024 to be held August 8-12 in Fort Worth, Texas, Saxon Panchik took the time to answer Hustle Up's questions.
Hustle Up: You're about to take part in your sixth CrossFit® Games. What do the Games mean to you? Saxon Panchik: The Games are always an incredible experience. It's the only weekend of the year when I can practice and put to good use everything I've worked on during the year. The Games also allow me to see where I'm at and define new areas for improvement. How do you stay motivated year after year? With CrossFit®, I do different exercises every day, and that's what I like - it's a daily challenge. I'm always looking to improve and that's what drives me all the time. Your performances this year are better than last year. What happened in 2023? 2023 was a difficult year, marked by a number of injuries that were real trials. It allowed me to assess certain aspects of my life that I needed to change. I've completely changed the way I approach my training and I've given priority to the health of my body. I think 2024 will be a much better year for me. You discovered CrossFit during your rehabilitation after an accident. Can you tell me how you discovered CrossFit? How does CrossFit help you in your rehabilitation? I started CrossFit® in 2009 following a hiking accident when I fell off a cliff with my twin brother. We couldn't do contact sports anymore, and that's when we discovered CrossFit®. It was a good way of staying in shape before perhaps returning to contact sports in the future. So, after three months of sitting in bed, we started CrossFit® and haven't stopped since. How did CrossFit® help you during this period? We went to the gym every day at 9am with our family. We'd train hard and try to beat each other. Who doesn't want to beat up their brothers and sisters? For me, it was a fun way to be competitive. What did you think of CrossFit® when you first started training? Did you like it right away? At what point did you think CrossFit® was going to become your new sport? My first workout was Fight Gone Bad, I remember it very clearly. I quickly realized that CrossFit® could help me to be a better man and athlete outside the gym, and that the benefits of this methodology were endless.
The areas I work on in CrossFit® help me on a daily basis. The big 10: endurance, stamina, strength, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, accuracy and flexibility. And then in 2012 watching the Regionals I told myself I wanted to become a top-level crossfitter. You then continued your rise in CrossFit® with your twin brother Spencer... Yes, it's helped a lot that there are two of us. We've been doing CrossFit® together for over 15 years, and it's a lot more fun to train together. We motivate each other and my brother helps me push my limits. When I see that he can lift a heavy load, I tell myself that I can do it too. It's pretty cool to be two.