Every month the Northglen News will profile sporting heroes who compete across a wide spectrum of sporting codes. These could include World or SA Champions or even rising stars who look set to take the sporting world by storm. Either way, if they are excelling or are passionate about the sport they play, then they stand a chance of featuring as our ‘Homegrown Sport Talent’ page.
CrossFit combines power lifting, weight lifting, sprinting and gymnastics, to name a few, and it's this variety that has drawn local resident Billy Pullen to the sport.
FOR people uninitiated with the sport of CrossFit, walking into a box, reveals what appears to be a barren landscape with a lack of mechanical apparatuses. You could be forgiven for asking where are the machines? If you ask uMhlanga resident, Billy Pullen, that question he’ll simply reply, ‘we are the machines’.
Pullen, a former South African sprint canoeist, is now one of CrossFit’s shining talents. Already this year, the 23-year-old has put in some impressive performances. Earlier this year, he took part in the Last Man Standing competition, where he finished first (as part of a four-man team for Team Cipla).
He also finished third at the Pretoria Throwdown with teammate, Roman Chausse, and finished in second place in the Fittist in Cape Town competition.
Northglen News recently caught up with former Clifton College pupil to find out where it all began.
“I began canoeing when I started high school and it was a sport I quickly excelled at. It was a sport that thought be discipline and I trained before school started because I was determined to succeed. I represented South Africa at a number of international competitions but eventually the sport fell on the wayside as I got older,” he said.
Billy is one of the top performers on the CrossFit circuit. PHOTO: Storm Bell
Then almost three years ago, Pullen’s life was irrevocably changed for the better he would argue. He discovered CrossFit and with it, an way to satiate his quest for perfection and reaching new heights.
“What I love about the sport is it’s not a boring monotonous workout. It combines power lifting, weight lifting, sprinting and gymnastics into interesting routines that are posted each day at CrossFit.com and on whiteboards at thousands of boxes around the world. The sport has grown from one fringe gym in a California industrial park to 10 000 independent boxes around the world and the CrossFit Games, which attracts 200 000 participants,” he said.
Billy (left) with fellow competitor, Roman Chausse at the PTA Throwdown CrossFit games. PHOTO: Facebook
Pullen is part of CrossFit Shumba, a new box which has opened its doors just behind Gateway on Meridian Drive.
“It’s hard to see how popular exercise can get more extreme than CrossFit, but it’s always possible that’s what is exciting about this sport. I feel like you can always reach new heights,” he said.
My Favourites
Fave sports to watch: “I love watching the Olympics.”
Fave food: “I’d have to say fillet steak and sweet potato chips or a Rocomama burger”
Fave TV show/channel: “I would have to say the Discovery Channel”
Fave musician/band: “Mumford & Sons”
Fave quote: ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’
