Cardiff Kettlebell Competition

Back in October I attended my first Kettlebell Competition!
The Boatshed Training Centre in Cardiff hosted it's second Biathlon event. It was a great change of a day out and the atmosphere was quite electric!
The biathlon is two events, the Jerk and the Snatch. Ladies do single KB Jerk and guys do double KB's. Everyone does single KB on the Snatch.
Whats the goal? Do as many reps as you can in 10 mins. Without putting the bells down. KB weight choice is yours. With the snatch, you switch hands only once during the 10 mins.
It was ace to see the experienced competitors lift. I watched in awe as 28's and 32's were getting placed on the platform. I was also very impressed seeing alot of ladies attack the Jerk, some seeing it for the first time that day even!
There were a couple of familiar faces there too. Mark Stroud's Brighton Girevoy Sport Club were there. I know these guys through the IKFF family. An experienced group that's for sure - the two ladies took 1st and 2nd place home. Mark attacked the 28's - it was great to watch!

Ireland was present too, with quite a few competitors. Experienced, and highly motivated. They took 1st and 2nd place overall in the comp for the men's.
Wolverson Fitness sponsored the event, and I was proud to travel down with them. Their kit is amazing. Top quality stuff.

Overall, I was very happy with my efforts. I felt comfortable with 20's. Experience now tells me to push to a slightly higher level and get those extra reps out. Alot of notes taken away from this comp! Technique, breathing, preparation, focus etc.
On the Jerks, I did 108 reps. I was delighted, as it was a personal best. The adrenaline of the event brought out a few more reps!
On the Snatch, I did 61 reps Left and 62 reps on the Right. I have done more in training, so I have some thoughts to take away about that.
This count, combined with the KB weight and my own body weight let me achieve 3rd place overall in the men's category. I was over the moon!

Thanks to my training pals for the encouragement. I look forward to training with any of you for the next comp!

2012 is going to prove to be an exciting year for kettlebell sport. I know a few more comps will take place all over the country. February is the next one, in Birmingham.