The Mobilus 2023 Open

Written by Annie Set

And just like that– 3 weeks of the 2023 Open are finally over. From workout predictions, to agonising over redos and tie-break timings, we have finally come to the end. 

For some of us, the drama continues as we watch the shifting leaderboard to ascertain our final rankings. Whether for bragging rights or advancement to the next round, many of us are finally getting a look at the sum of our training this past year and where it got us. 

But before we think about what’s next, let’s take another look at the past 3 weeks in Mobilus.

23.1 at Mobilus Clarke Quay

Week 1

Leading up to the 23.1 announcement was constant speculation– would it be another engine based workout? What does Dave Castro’s clue mean? Should I even sign up? 

What came was something perhaps unexpected– a chipper with both toes-to-bars as well as ring muscle-ups, presenting a higher gymnastic skill than previously seen in recent Opens. Pacing was the name of the game for 23.1. It provided multiple movements for athletes to prove themselves on, leaning in favour of athletes who either knew their abilities well and planned realistic sets.

 The Open kicked off with a full scale return at our usual peak timings– Friday Night Lights at Clarke Quay, and Saturday afternoons in Chinatown. 

Aidan Chemaly attempting 23.1 at Mobilus Chinatown

The first event of the Open season set the tone for the next few weeks. Both Chinatown and Clarke Quay saw the return of full-house crowds gathered to compete, help judge, or just witness the events of The Crossfit Open at Mobilus. A welcome sight after years of Covid restrictions– the atmosphere in the gym was one of constant electricity– from the quiet nervousness during the athlete briefings, to the roar of the crowd as the athletes pushed through the workouts, heat after heat. 

While the workout was an AMRAP, with a rep scheme of 50-40-30-20, none of the RX athletes made it to the end of the first round. Head coach of Mobilus Clarke Quay, Aidan Chemaly and his Sour Patch Kid teammate Keith Koh came the closest– each completing 19 of the 20 ring muscle-ups. For the RX Women, Head coach of Chinatown, Sammy Ventrice finished with 18 ring muscle-ups– just one rep behind the top men. Second in Mobilus, Jeanne Ong completed 9 muscle-ups, topping the Singapore leaderboard. 

Jeffrey Wong attempting 23.1 at Mobilus Chinatown

For the scaled division, Jeffrey Wong of Mobilus Chinatown came out on top– finishing his first round and getting 46 calories into his second row. Leading Mobilus for scaled women was Lee Shuzhen of Mobilus Clarke Quay, completing the first round and getting into 21 calories on her second row. 

Week 2

While 23.1 marked a throwback to ‘classic Crossfit’ workouts and a surprising return to high-skill gymnastics with the ring muscle-ups– 23.2a introduced something totally new and surprisingly accessible (though deceptively difficult) – the pairing of shuttle runs and burpee pull-ups. 

With movements this simple, the focus was yet again on pacing and efficient movement– how fast can you move without burning out? 

In stark contrast, 23.2b was a test of brute strength and efficiency under a barbell. With most athletes having never tested their max thruster before– it was uncertain what weights people could manage– especially under fatigue. With each crash of the barbell, the crowd roared in triumph or groaned in consolation. 

For 23.2a, Arti Shah from Mobilus Chinatown had the top scaled women’s score of 185 marking 6 rounds and 20 burpees, with Roxanne Gan of Clarke Quay a close second with 17 burpees. 

23.2b presented the opportunity for many athletes to PR their thrusters, including Maria Chia from Mobilus Chinatown, who topped the scaled leaderboard in Singapore with her lift of 131 lbs. 

Maria Chia attempting 23.2b at Mobilus Chinatown

Mickael Marie from Mobilus Chinatown topped the RX Mobilus leaderboard for 23.2b with a massive thruster of 259 lbs, earning him (and Richmond) a feature on the Crossfit Instagram. For the RX women, Sammy and Michelle Fox-Sayer from Chinatown tied with a 170lb thruster each. 

23.3 Finale at Mobilus Clarke Quay

Week 3

The final event, 23.3 was a great separator– with the ascending weights, strict gymnastics and moving time-cap quickly setting athletes apart at multiple points in the workout. For many athletes, some of the weights were close to their max lifts and posed a great challenge moving for reps. For others, it was the strict handstand push-ups that held them back. The one constant that plagued all participants– was shoulder fatigue.  

The grand finale was marked with a showcase at each gym- with the women throwing down at Clarke Quay, and the men at Chinatown. 

Friday night at Mobilus Clarke Quay featured coach Landy Eng as the Rx women’s representative, along with members April Kong, Lee Shuzhen , and Roxanne Gan– the top 3 scaled female athletes of Clarke Quay. 

From left: Lee Shuzhen, Roxanne Gan, April Kong, Landy Eng

Friends and family turned up in support of each athlete, ready to cheer them on for their final workout of the Open. 

April Kong completed 23.3 with the top scaled women’s score in Mobilus with a timing of 9:39, and second in Singapore for the event. Shuzhen and Roxanne finished strong in the workout as well, with Shuzhen completing one rep of the final snatch weight, and Roxanne completing 4 snatches at the third weight. 

Landy’s final score of 207 reps for 23.3 combined with her earlier scores placed her at the end of her Open season as 3rd overall in Singapore. 

Landy Eng at 23.3

Roxanne Gan at 23.3

The following day was the men’s turn– with the Chinatown showdown taking place on Saturday afternoon, featuring Head Coach Aidan Chemaly, along with the top three scaled male athletes of Chinatown– Ashraf Fauzi, Jeffrey Wong and Jackson Yap. 

23.3 Finale at Mobilus Chinatown

The three scaled men finished the workout within inches of each other- with Ashraf and Jeffrey completing 287 reps, and Jackson, 286.

From left: Jackson Yap, Jeffrey Wong, Ashraf Fauzi, Aidan Chemaly

The crowd was ecstatic to witness Aidan successfully snatch a rep of the final weight, 225 lbs– making Aidan the only Rx athlete in Mobilus to make a lift at the final barbell of the workout.

What’s Next

As the rest of the athletes in both gyms pushed through the final workout of their Open season, many PRs were hit and goals accomplished. This year Mobilus hit a record high of athletes qualifying for the Quarterfinals the next stage of the Crossfit Games season. 

Individuals and teams qualifying for the Quarterfinals

Besides those topping the leaderboard, many athletes enjoyed the opportunity to test themselves against their peers, crushing their own fitness goals and taking stock of where their training has brought them. 

How Maychin from Mobilus Clarke Quay reflected on her own journey– having come back from injury that had her fearful about getting under an 85lb snatch, she was proud to discover her own strength in the Open, successfully getting the weight overhead for 4 good reps in 23.3. 

Maychin’s successful 85lbs lift in 23.3

From Mobilus Chinatown, Mae Hoe demonstrated great resilience in her Open season this year, approaching each workout with everything she had, in enthusiastic pursuit of her own best performance. She walked out of the Open proud of her second season and the strong mental game that she brought. Her refusal to let old limiting beliefs hold her back is what won her the title of ‘Spirit of the Open’ for Mobilus this year. 

Spirit of the Open - Mae Hoe

With the three events over and the leaderboard set, athletes are moving on to the next phase of their training– some with a renewed focus to work on their weaknesses, some reassessing their training goals, and some looking forward to the next phase of competition.

As we close this chapter of the 2023 Open, we would like to extend our gratitude to all those involved in making this season a success. 

To all the athletes who participated this year, putting your fitness to the test and leaving it all out on the competition floor– thank you for letting us be a part of your fitness journey, and to see how far you have come. 

To the Mobilus staff– coaches, administrative team, and support staff, thank you for your dedication and hard work in setting up the competition space and running the heats. 

Special thanks to photographers Syahir and Joyce for helping to skilfully capture the magic of the Open. 

Finally, to the whole Mobilus community, as well as family and friends who turned out to support–  thank you for bringing the energy and making this year a special one. 

All the best with your training, and we’ll see you all again next season.