Caption: Michael Mogard (R) and Nina Juna pose for a photo. Picture: Courtesy of Under Armour Brunei
Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
MICHAEL Mogard was crowned the champion of men’s category at the Test of Will 2017 Regional Finals after defeating Thailand's Ben Lakoff in the final round at Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
Nina Juna almost completed a double for Brunei but finished second to Jemima Djatmiko of Indonesia in the final of the women’s category.
Mogard, the owner of Reebok CrossFit673, was pleased to finish at the top of the podium.
“Thousands of athletes around Southeast Asia attempted to qualify and only six male/female athletes made it,” said Mogard in an interview with BruSports earlier today.
“So I knew I would face very tough competition. I had to give 100 per cent effort to come out on top,” he added.
“The competition was a grueling test. The organisers did a good job taking care of the athletes and the experience was a memorable one,” continued the American, who will contest in the CrossFit Regionals in Sydney, Australia at the end of the month.
Competitors for the Test of Will 2017 Regional Finals in a group photo. Picture: Courtesy of Under Armour Brunei
He also felt that it was great to have both Brunei representatives make it to the title decider.
“Nina Juna did a really nice job representing Brunei and she competed very well,” said Mogard.
“It’s also cool that Brunei was the only country to have both the male and female athletes to make it into the finals,” added the 33-year-old.
On the other hand, Nina never expected to make it to the final and is looking to bounce back stronger.
“I didn’t expect to get to the final round. The overall competition was very challenging for me where some of the games in the workout were my weaknesses,” said Nina.
“In the final round, I burned out because of the air dyne workout and that is one of my weaknesses. But I’ll take it positively and improve myself to come back stronger next year,” she added.
“The event was very well organised by Under Armour. I would like to say thank you to Under Armour and to all those supporting the Brunei athletes,” concluded Nina.
