Fraser Leads The Open, A New Era Dawning?

Mar 24, 2015 by Kati Breazeal

Since he began the sport in 6th grade, Mat Fraser was certain he was destined to become an Olympic lifter. “Both of my parents were in the Olympics. they were a pair together, in figure skating. So my goal was to make that a thing… and weightlifting is one of the original Olympic sports, so I thought, ‘there you go.”

After graduation, Mat moved away from home, and became a resident athlete at The Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, where he trained full time. During a routine training session, more specifically during a clean pull complex, Fraser experienced something any athlete would consider their worst nightmare. A ‘pop’ on both sides of his back revealed to be two breaks. Surgeons in Denver explained he would never be able to train at the same capacity again, much less lift at an Olympic level. After failed attempts of searching for a doctor who could help, a neurosurgeon in California performed an experimental surgery on Mat, which he considered to be hit-or-miss, giving Fraser the smallest dose of hope of being at the same athletic level again. The surgery resulted in two plates and six screws being attached to the vertebrae in his lower back.

After rehabbing and deciding to focus his energy on an education, Fraser decided to leave his weightlifting career, and ended up at the Olympic Education Center at Northern Michigan University, where he stumbled upon a local box, Champlain Valley CrossFit. From there, Mat started to tap into his potential as a CrossFit competitor, and the rest is history.

“What the hell is The Open?”

After entering the 2013 Open as a result of teammate peer-pressure, Mat ended up qualifying to Regionals, where he placed fifth after only participating in the sport for a few months. Weighing only 180 pounds, Fraser won the Overhead Squat Complex after hitting a double at 315 lbs. There were only two other athletes in the world who matched Fraser’s weight, Rich Froning and Spencer Hendel, but they still only squatted the weight once. Fraser was building a name. He decided that if he made an honest effort to commit to the training, he could be among the top athletes in the field.

Making His Mark

Fraser hit 2014 with a vengeance. Despite suffering a pectoral strain during the 50s Chipper at Regionals, he placed top four on all events (with three event wins) except one- Event 5: The Legless Rope Climb and Sprint, where he took sixth. His solid performance shot him to a third place ranking worldwide, only behind Scott Panchik, and the reigning Fittest Man On Earth, THE Rich Froning.

Fraser was Game ready.

With less than two years experience in CrossFit, Fraser surprised the sport’s fan base by finishing second at the 2014 Games as a rookie. He was at the top of the leaderboard numerous times during the weekend, until it all came down to the final workout. Rich Froning’s monstrous performance on Double Grace earned him a first place finish on the event, solidifying his fourth title as the Fittest Man On Earth. Fraser came in a close second, only 50 points behind Froning, edging out veterans Jason Khalipa (3rd overall), Josh Bridges (4th overall), and Scott Panchik (5th overall). Not too shabby for a rookie year.

Leaderboard provided by CrossFit HQ

2015 has already proved to be a successful year for Fraser, especially since he’s the current leader heading into the final workout of The Open. And this year’s pre-Games’ season couldn’t be any more exciting- or close. Going into 15.5, Fraser leads Rich Froning by a mere five points. Yes, only five points. The world’s fittest man, and the world’s second fittest man are neck in neck going into the final event, both within striking distance of the title.

Who’s going to take it all? We’ll find out early next week when the 15.5 time cap is up, all scores are submitted, and one will be named the 2015 Open Champ.