From his humble CrossFit gym in Vaitele to one of Oceania's premier CrossFit stages, local athlete Sa'oleititi Brandon Sefo of Tulaele and Vaitele was amongst the region's most elite athletes who gathered for a two-day competition in Brisbane, Australia.

Saoleititi, alongside fellow Samoans, Xavier and Thierry Martel, sons of fautasi skipper Vaimasenu’u Zita Sefo-Martel, competed at the Torian Pro CrossFit competition representing Samoa. 

“Seeing our flag up there on the jumbotron, or amidst all the different flags from Australia and New Zealand for the first time, was quite special,” said Saoleititi.

Saoleititi described the competition as “crazy” and “special” as it was his first time competing at the Torian Pro.

Sa’oleititi and Xavier competed as pro pairs under CrossFit Fatu Toa, where they placed eighth out of 40.

Saoleititi admitted that preparations leading up to the elite competition were not easy. 

“When training got real hard, or sleep or nutrition wasn't as good, when you're not hitting numbers, (when) you should be at a certain time. Setbacks in training happen, you just have to roll with it and not be too stuck into anything that might happen,” he said. 

While Sa'oleititi plans to compete again, his off-season focus is on his local gym’s upcoming events. He is proud that the facility has grown from its initial 10 members to approximately 80 active participants. However, his wish is to see more local Samoan CrossFit athletes cross the same stage he did.

“It would be nice to see more Samoans from here represented, or make it to that level. I'm still working on it. At the moment, it's just me,” said Sa’oleititi.

Saoleititi said CrossFit Fatu Toa have a special event for the Independence Day celebrations, on Saturday, CrossFit teams across Samoa will compete in the Mau WOD (Workout of the Day).

In August, the CrossFit gym will host its annual Toa Games.