Ben Smith (born May 16, 1990) is a professional CrossFit athlete from Virginia, United States. He has competed at the CrossFit Games every year from 2009 to 2019, finishing on the podium four times: first place in 2015,[1] second in 2016, and third in 2011 and 2013. He is the first competitor to make ten consecutive appearances in the Individual Division at the CrossFit Games.[2] He was able to extend the streak to 11 years following the adjusted qualification rules for the 2019 CrossFit Games that gave him wildcard invitation.[3]
Smith was a baseball player throughout childhood and was introduced to CrossFit during his senior year of high school in 2008 and qualified for the CrossFit Games the next year.[4] He has placed first in CrossFit Games regional qualifying events six times (five times in the Mid Atlantic region and once in the Atlantic "super-region"). He is the founder of his own gym, CrossFit Krypton, in Chesapeake, Virginia.[5]
Ben Smith was born to Chuck and Kim Smith on May 16, 1990. He has two younger brothers, Alec and Dane. His father was in the navy and the family moved around frequently when he was younger, but they eventually settled in Chesapeake where he started his 9th grade in high school.[6][7] Smith learned gymnastics when he was three, lifted weights in his early teens, and played American football and baseball throughout his childhood. He had intended to pursue a career in baseball, and was a baseball player for the Great Bridge High School Wildcats from 2004 to 2008.[8] When he was sixteen, his father introduced him to CrossFit, an exercise program popular in the military and law enforcement communities, to help improve his performance in baseball.[4][7] He played collegiate level baseball at Lafayette College,[4] but transferred after a semester to Old Dominion University to be closer to home. However, he was unable to try out for the baseball team at Old Dominion after his transfer, and so decided to take part in the Regional, a qualification event for the CrossFit Games, which was held near his home in 2009, and managed to qualify for the Games that year.[9] He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2012.[10]
CrossFit career
In 2009, Smith entered his first CrossFit Games Regionals event at age 18, finishing in first place at the Mid Atlantic Qualifier held at Virginia Beach, Virginia. He earned a spot in the 2009 CrossFit Games where he finished in 64th place out of 74 competitors.[11] Smith went on to qualify for the Games in 10 subsequent years.
Smith made the podium for the first time at the 2011 Games by finishing third behind Rich Froning and Josh Bridges.[12] In 2013, he was again placed third behind Froning and Jason Khalipa.[13]
At the 2015 Games, following the move to team competition by the four-time Games champion Rich Froning, Mathew Fraser was widely expected to be the winner and he led by a large margin after two days of competition. However, Smith won in two events: Heavy DT at the end of Day 2 and Soccer Chipper in Day 3, with the Soccer Chipper win particularly significant as Fraser faltered in the event and failed to finish, allowing Smith to take over the lead after the event. The contest was tightly fought between Smith and Fraser in subsequent events, and Smith's consistent performance allowed him to fight off Fraser's challenge and prevail at the end to win the title of "Fittest on Earth".[14]
The following year at the 2016 Games, Smith won his final podium spot with a second-place finish after a strong display by the eventual winner Mat Fraser, who went on to dominate the Games for the next four years.[15]
In 2018, Smith became the first CrossFit Games competitor to qualify as an individual for the Games in ten consecutive years, and tied for total individual qualifications.[2] In 2019, Smith failed to qualify through the Open and Sanctionals as he was recovering from a knee surgery he had in January 2019.[16] However, the record for the most consecutive attendances at the Games was extended to 11 when he received a wildcard invite to the Games.[17]
^Had knee surgery in the offseason and was still recovering during the Open.
Training and diet
Smith followed the CrossFit regimen and its internet community for the program, and posted his garage workout videos posted to online forums.[25] He mostly trained in his garage or outside in his backyard.[9]
As a competitor, Smith maintains a high carbohydrate and protein diet by eating mostly whole foods, although he has not utilized the paleo diet that had been popular in the CrossFit community.[26] The majority of his calories comes from milk, eggs, sweet potatoes, and bacon. He supplements his diet with protein powders. He occasionally breaks the diet on weekends with pizza, ice cream, and burritos.[27][28]
Personal life
Ben met his wife, Noelle, in their junior year of high school[4] and were married in October 2014.[8] By 2017, Smith had made $487,086 in prize money making him the fifth highest paid CrossFit athlete at the time.[29]
Smith's brothers Alec and Dane also competed in CrossFit, with Alec qualifying for the CrossFit Games in 2017 and 2018.[30] Smith founded his own gym, CrossFit Krypton, in 2013 in Chesapeake. where he is also the lead programmer, co-owner, and coach.[5][31]
References
^"Ben Smith Wins 2015 CrossFit Games". Muscle & Fitness. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
^ ab"Can Ben Smith Keep the Streak Alive?". MorningChakUp. April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
^"CrossFit Games 2019 hands Ben Smith a wild card, as an 'icon of the sport'". South China Morning Post. July 29, 2019.
^ abcdTeam, BoxLife. "Ben Smith: Interview with the 23-year-old Phenom! | BoxLife Magazine". Retrieved 2019-04-02.
^ abRiley, Frazer (August 1, 2015). "Kryptonian Ben Smith: Becoming Fittest Man On Earth". BoxRox.
^Ben Smith: Progenex. May 2, 2017. Event occurs at 0:10–1:05.
smith, crossfit, smith, born, 1990, professional, crossfit, athlete, from, virginia, united, states, competed, crossfit, games, every, year, from, 2009, 2019, finishing, podium, four, times, first, place, 2015, second, 2016, third, 2011, 2013, first, competito. Ben Smith born May 16 1990 is a professional CrossFit athlete from Virginia United States He has competed at the CrossFit Games every year from 2009 to 2019 finishing on the podium four times first place in 2015 1 second in 2016 and third in 2011 and 2013 He is the first competitor to make ten consecutive appearances in the Individual Division at the CrossFit Games 2 He was able to extend the streak to 11 years following the adjusted qualification rules for the 2019 CrossFit Games that gave him wildcard invitation 3 Ben SmithBen Smith at the 2012 CrossFit GamesPersonal informationBorn 1990 05 16 May 16 1990 age 32 OccupationCrossFit AthleteHeight5 ft 11 in 1 80 m Weight195 lb 88 kg SportSportCrossFit GamesAchievements and titlesPersonal best s Clean and Jerk 335 lb 152 kg Snatch 300 lb 140 kg Deadlift 540 lb 240 kg Backsquat 480 lb 220 kg Press 185 lb 84 kg Smith was a baseball player throughout childhood and was introduced to CrossFit during his senior year of high school in 2008 and qualified for the CrossFit Games the next year 4 He has placed first in CrossFit Games regional qualifying events six times five times in the Mid Atlantic region and once in the Atlantic super region He is the founder of his own gym CrossFit Krypton in Chesapeake Virginia 5 Contents 1 Early life 2 CrossFit career 2 1 Games results 2 2 Training and diet 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External linksEarly life EditBen Smith was born to Chuck and Kim Smith on May 16 1990 He has two younger brothers Alec and Dane His father was in the navy and the family moved around frequently when he was younger but they eventually settled in Chesapeake where he started his 9th grade in high school 6 7 Smith learned gymnastics when he was three lifted weights in his early teens and played American football and baseball throughout his childhood He had intended to pursue a career in baseball and was a baseball player for the Great Bridge High School Wildcats from 2004 to 2008 8 When he was sixteen his father introduced him to CrossFit an exercise program popular in the military and law enforcement communities to help improve his performance in baseball 4 7 He played collegiate level baseball at Lafayette College 4 but transferred after a semester to Old Dominion University to be closer to home However he was unable to try out for the baseball team at Old Dominion after his transfer and so decided to take part in the Regional a qualification event for the CrossFit Games which was held near his home in 2009 and managed to qualify for the Games that year 9 He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2012 10 CrossFit career EditIn 2009 Smith entered his first CrossFit Games Regionals event at age 18 finishing in first place at the Mid Atlantic Qualifier held at Virginia Beach Virginia He earned a spot in the 2009 CrossFit Games where he finished in 64th place out of 74 competitors 11 Smith went on to qualify for the Games in 10 subsequent years Smith made the podium for the first time at the 2011 Games by finishing third behind Rich Froning and Josh Bridges 12 In 2013 he was again placed third behind Froning and Jason Khalipa 13 At the 2015 Games following the move to team competition by the four time Games champion Rich Froning Mathew Fraser was widely expected to be the winner and he led by a large margin after two days of competition However Smith won in two events Heavy DT at the end of Day 2 and Soccer Chipper in Day 3 with the Soccer Chipper win particularly significant as Fraser faltered in the event and failed to finish allowing Smith to take over the lead after the event The contest was tightly fought between Smith and Fraser in subsequent events and Smith s consistent performance allowed him to fight off Fraser s challenge and prevail at the end to win the title of Fittest on Earth 14 The following year at the 2016 Games Smith won his final podium spot with a second place finish after a strong display by the eventual winner Mat Fraser who went on to dominate the Games for the next four years 15 In 2018 Smith became the first CrossFit Games competitor to qualify as an individual for the Games in ten consecutive years and tied for total individual qualifications 2 In 2019 Smith failed to qualify through the Open and Sanctionals as he was recovering from a knee surgery he had in January 2019 16 However the record for the most consecutive attendances at the Games was extended to 11 when he received a wildcard invite to the Games 17 Games results Edit Year Games 18 11 19 20 Regionals 18 21 22 Open Worldwide 18 23 2009 64th 1st Mid Atlantic Qualifiers 2010 8th 2nd Central East 2011 3rd 1st Mid Atlantic 16th2012 11th 1st Mid Atlantic 24th2013 3rd 1st Mid Atlantic 11th2014 7th 1st Mid Atlantic 3rd2015 1st 4th Atlantic 3rd2016 2nd 1st Atlantic 65th2017 8th 3rd Atlantic 41st2018 12th 3rd Atlantic 40thYear Games Qualifier Open Worldwide Open National 2019 29th 14th Rogue 10th Granite Games Received Wildcard Invitation to CrossFit Games 4771st 2248th a 2020 8th Mayhem 24 22nd 15th Had knee surgery in the offseason and was still recovering during the Open Training and diet Edit Smith followed the CrossFit regimen and its internet community for the program and posted his garage workout videos posted to online forums 25 He mostly trained in his garage or outside in his backyard 9 As a competitor Smith maintains a high carbohydrate and protein diet by eating mostly whole foods although he has not utilized the paleo diet that had been popular in the CrossFit community 26 The majority of his calories comes from milk eggs sweet potatoes and bacon He supplements his diet with protein powders He occasionally breaks the diet on weekends with pizza ice cream and burritos 27 28 Personal life EditBen met his wife Noelle in their junior year of high school 4 and were married in October 2014 8 By 2017 Smith had made 487 086 in prize money making him the fifth highest paid CrossFit athlete at the time 29 Smith s brothers Alec and Dane also competed in CrossFit with Alec qualifying for the CrossFit Games in 2017 and 2018 30 Smith founded his own gym CrossFit Krypton in 2013 in Chesapeake where he is also the lead programmer co owner and coach 5 31 References Edit Ben Smith Wins 2015 CrossFit Games Muscle amp Fitness Retrieved October 7 2015 a b Can Ben Smith Keep the Streak Alive MorningChakUp April 4 2019 Retrieved April 6 2019 CrossFit Games 2019 hands Ben Smith a wild card as an icon of the sport South China Morning Post July 29 2019 a b c d Team BoxLife Ben Smith Interview with the 23 year old Phenom BoxLife Magazine Retrieved 2019 04 02 a b Riley Frazer August 1 2015 Kryptonian Ben Smith Becoming Fittest Man On Earth BoxRox Ben Smith Progenex May 2 2017 Event occurs at 0 10 1 05 a b Ben Smith Biography Progenex a b Connors Mike Fittest Man on Earth as modest as his Chesapeake beginning Virginian Pilot Retrieved 2019 04 02 a b Ben Smith CrossFit Elite Athlete Profile SEALgrinderPT June 21 2016 Archived from the original on April 2 2019 Retrieved April 2 2019 Athlete feature Ben Smith CrossFit Games December 2 2012 a b Men s Overall Results games2009 crossfit com Retrieved 2015 10 07 Maples Travis Dark Horse to Top Dog Ben Smith CrossFit Games Rich Froning Wins 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Muscle and Fitness 2015 CrossFit Games Recap BoxLife Magazine Pyfferoen Brian July 25 2016 Mat Fraser Wins 2016 CrossFit Games by Largest Margin in History The BarbellSpin LoFranco Justin July 24 2019 The Case for a Ben Smith Wildcard is Stronger Than You Think Morning Chalk Up Boly Jake July 28 2019 Ben Smith Receives Wildcard Invite To 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games BarBend a b c Ben Smith CrossFit Games Retrieved 2015 10 07 2010 CrossFit Games Finals Overall Results Men scores2010 crossfit com Retrieved 2015 10 07 2011 CrossFit Games games2011 crossfit com Retrieved 2015 10 07 Central East Regional Overall Results Men scores2010 crossfit com Retrieved 2015 10 07 Leaderboard CrossFit Games Retrieved 2015 10 07 Scoreboard CrossFit Games games2011 crossfit com Retrieved 2015 10 07 Mayhem Classic Leaderboard Throwdowns Retrieved January 13 2020 Exclusive Ben Smith Reflects on 10 Years at the CrossFit Games Reebok US Retrieved 2019 04 02 Fridge Raider CrossFit Competitor Ben Smith SI com Retrieved 2019 03 21 The Diet of an Athlete Ben Smith Shares his Nutrition Plan marcpro com Retrieved 2019 03 22 Ben Smith 2015 Reebok CrossFit Champion Rogue Fitness Retrieved 2019 03 22 Connors Mike CrossFit title brought Great Bridge grad celebrity but hasn t changed his focus Virginian Pilot Retrieved 2019 04 02 Smith Brothers Qualify for the CrossFit Games The Barbell Spin June 4 2017 Ben Smith crossfitkrypton com Retrieved 2019 04 02 External links EditBen Smith at CrossFit Games Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ben Smith CrossFit amp oldid 1093176153, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
