Beckley man among top finishers at East Coast CrossFit competition

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - CrossFit is on a quest to find the fittest people on earth and one man from Beckley is quickly climbing to the top of that list.

Austin Hatfield recently placed 13th in the competition’s East Coast division in Orlando, Florida. Growing up on the soccer fields of Beckley, he found his passion in life through competition.

“I just love to compete and workout. It’s something that’s filled me with more joy than a lot of other things could.

The 23-year-old owns the Redline Gym on South Fayette Street in Beckley. There, you may find him training hours a day by walking on his hands, doing muscle ups, and back squats.

Being the 13th “fittest” man on the East Coast has its perks, but Hatfield said he isn’t going to just settle. He hopes to make it to the national competition next year. “I don’t like to lose and with that fan crowd behind me, it’s hard not to want to do better and do more.”

In the quest to be the “fittest on earth,” his training requires him to be ready for just about anything. The contestants do not know the challenges ahead of time. “It was fun.... definitely an experience I’ll remember. I’ll hopefully go back and do even better next year.”

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