Limavady man to compete at the CrossFit Games

A Limavady man will travel to Alabama in August to compete in the Masters CrossFit Games.

Michael Walsh will compete in the 40-44 age category in the event. 

The competition takes place between August 29 until September 1, with a determined Walsh ready to demonstrate his ability.

He said: “It is a dream come true, as you think that it is never going to happen, and the news still feels good.

“But now all I want to do is go and give my best. 

“When you enter a competition, it can be hard because you are overthinking about winning, but this time I just want to really enjoy it and take it as it comes.

“I know I’m capable, but I will hopefully try to put less pressure on myself.

“But there will be hunger in me to give it my all to see how high I can finish.”

CrossFit has become a small phenomenon in recent years, with ever-increasing numbers of people getting into the training regimen that was first conceived in 1996.

And Walsh got into CrossFit relatively late in life, but since discovering it, he has never looked back.

He said: “When I was around 30 years old, I met Andy Chapman in the leisure center, and this was the first time I had ever really started going to the gym. 

“He explained to me that he was doing CrossFit and asked if I’d like to try. After that, I then joined Crossfit Derry soon after, and that was it from there.”

The 40-year-old has since moved on from this gym to set up his own at CrossFit Limavady with Chapman; however, he is no longer part of this gym. 

Since opening this gym, Walsh has been able to train locally, introducing the sport to his children. 

Emma McQuaid and his family will be in his corner when he competes in America later this year.

He said: “Emma has been a big part of it for me over the past few years.

“Emma will be going to the CrossFit Games too, which are three weeks before the Masters in Texas.

“But whenever I go to a competition, my wife, who is a big part of it for me, always makes comments, saying, ‘You are literally the smallest person; those men are massive’”.

People from the county of Derry have always managed to exceed expectations.

But as Walsh joked about his wife’s comments, he will use the underdog tag to his advantage. 

He said: “Nobody understands the work you put in and the sacrifices you make to do it. 

“I literally live and breathe CrossFit.

“The defeats you have pave the way for you in the future as you learn from them. 

“When the going gets tough, there is that underdog feeling; it helps me grit my teeth and do the I’ll show you thing. 

“That feeling has kept me going.”

The dedication and effort to succeed at CrossFit are commendable. 

But the hard work from Walsh doesn’t stop with the training for the competition; he is also working hard to secure sponsorship.

He said: “I had to fund myself and do fundraisers up to this point. 

“But I would appreciate anyone wishing to sponsor me for the event.”