CrossFit Games: Harry Lightfoot preparing to represent UK

Qualifying for the CrossFit Games has taken over Lightfoot’s life – not only in terms of time but also moving home.

He has left Cornwall and moved to Worcester to train with his coach Mike Allen and Aimee Cringle – the only British woman to qualify for August’s event in Fort Worth.

“I put my chips on the table and told everyone what my goal was,” he said.

“It has been a goal for a while, but there was more light at the end of the tunnel this year – we felt I was in a good place that I could competitively go into these regionals.

“You’re not in control of the outcome, it’s how you execute on the day. But just to have my place for the games was just relief in one of the most stacked, if not the most stacked field in the world, which is Europe – it was it was an unbelievable feeling.”

Come August, Lightfoot knows that he will need to be at the top of his game not just with the aim of succeeding, but also just trying to compete.

“It prides itself on being constantly varied so you have no idea what you’re going up against,” he said.

“We’re just left guessing, so you have to train in almost everything.

“You have to be really well-rounded, you can’t be very good at one thing and then poor at another because it just doesn’t look good on the leaderboard and you’re punished for that.

“To be the top 40 in the world, just to be there, is quite an achievement.

“But for me it’s not like the job’s done there. It’s not qualify and that’s it, I’m going there to compete, so I’m going to go and push for the highest placing I can.”