Luka Ðukić Returns to U.S. at TYR WZA Miami

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• This week, fans in the U.S. will have their first chance since the tragedy at the 2024 CrossFit Games to watch and support Luka Ðukić. Get caught up on what has transpired for the younger Ðukić brother since August.

• Why you should avoid the “anti-inflammation” diet hype and instead focus on the basics and a healthy body composition instead.

• Reps Ahead Pro 6 is coming to TYR WZA Miami this Thursday. Check out our full match breakdown and preview below.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Because as much as I want to win Dubai, the biggest thing that I want will never come to me, and that’s the hardest thing to accept” - Luka Ðukić in One Dream.

PROFILE

Luka Ðukić Returns to U.S. for the First Time Since Games Tragedy, Looks to Build on Dubai Win at TYR WZA Miami

Luka Ðukić went into the 2024 CrossFit Games with his brother, Lazar, by his side. He left the weekend shattered, alone, and unsure how to move forward. 

• The Serbian athlete has shown grit and courage in his return to the competition floor since the tragic death of his brother, experiencing the full gamut of emotions while finding success at the Belgrade Games and winning the Dubai Fitness Championship. 

He looks to continue that momentum into the new year while keeping his brother’s memory and legacy at the top of the community’s mind. 

The Details 

Ðukić is set to compete all four days at TYR Wodapalooza in Miami, FL. The first step is to take the floor as an individual, and then he’ll compete on a team with Harry Lightfoot and Moritz Fiebig. 

Ðukić and his coach, John Singleton, recently released a documentary following Ðukić’s journey to the Dubai competition. 

The full documentary, titled One Dream, is a candid look at Ðukić’s road back to training after the emotional toll of losing his brother. 

• “Of course in the situation that happened and everything, my first goal was honestly to be strong for my parents and be there for them. And then as time was passing, I just realized that I wasn’t really myself without being in the gym and training,” Ðukić said in the documentary. 

A MESSAGE FROM VELITES

Subscribe and Get Free Wodapalooza Wristbands

Velites is giving away a free pair of Wodapalooza-branded wristbands to everyone who signs up for their newsletter. You can either pick them up in Miami or have them shipped to your house.

And when we're talking free, we actually mean it.

All you need to do is fill out this form.

*Only one pair per person while supplies last.

SPEED READS

📋 ✍️ Volunteer for the World Fitness Tour: Volunteer registration for the World Fitness Project’s World Fitness Tour inaugural event — 2025 Tour Event I — is now live. The first event will be held at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, IN.

• Find onsite volunteer registration, as well as online and in-person judge applications here.

🐔🐔🐔 Want Free Chicken for Life? Well, new users who sign up for ButcherBox will receive chicken breast in every box for the lifetime of their subscription.

💪👷Rogue Fitness is Hiring and Expanding: In Columbus, OH, the major equipment manufacturer and primary CrossFit sponsor, Rogue Fitness, is building a 400,000-square-foot addition to its facility and seeking to fill several roles.

• These roles include: Director of Finance — Manufacturing, Manufacturing Cost Accountant, Business Team Manager — Manufacturing, Quality & Maintenance Mechanical Engineer, and Industrial Engineer, among others. Apply here.

🚨🚨 The CrossFit Open is Coming: The 2025 CrossFit Open will take place February 27-March 17, so get signed up now!

• Bundle and save on 2025 CrossFit Open shirts and Judges course registration here.

📊🗓️ Known and Knowable Open Registration Tracker: From now through the Open, Known and Knowable will provide daily numbers and year-over-year comparisons for Open registrations. Follow here.

📈📉 Fran Lung Analytics Prize Purse Tracker: CrossFit is betting heavily on the community to fund the 2025 CrossFit Games by tying the prize purse to Open registration. Check out this real-time prize purse tracker from our friends up North, Fran Lung Analytics. And give them a follow for lots of great data and breakdowns.

ICYMI: Rachelle Williams suffered a freak accident that caused spinal cord damage. Her CrossFit 703 community in Burke, VA, stepped up to raise money for her medical expenses, but they continue to mount. Learn how you can help.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

The Weight-Inflammation Connection: Rethinking Anti-Inflammatory Diets

On the Consistency Project podcast, I'm always trying to cut through the noise and hype to uncover what the science really says about diet and health. 

• And there's perhaps no topic more buzzed about these days than inflammation.

You've likely seen countless articles touting the "top anti-inflammatory foods" or warning you to follow an “anti-inflammatory diet.”

• But are we getting so caught up in categorizing individual foods that we're missing the forest for the trees?

When it comes to reducing chronic inflammation, maintaining a healthy weight matters far more than filling your cart with "superfoods."

Excess Body Fat: The Inflammation Generator

When you hear inflammation, you might think of the acute kind – the red swelling that appears when you stub your toe, for example. But there's another form called chronic low-grade inflammation. 

• It is not as evident as acute inflammation (swelling, heat). However, it is the inflammation associated with chronic diseases that leads to seven out of ten deaths in the United States. 

Think of chronic inflammation as the immune system's constant signaling that a problem needs to be fixed. 

In many cases, a specific type of food will not stop those signals. This is because it’s excess body fat that is inflammatory. 

COMPETITIONS

Reps Ahead Pro 6 Showcase: Preview

“I want everybody on the podium,” Jayson Hopper said after his win at Reps Ahead Pro 4 in Huntington Beach, CA, last September.  

Now, he’s getting his shot — and he’s going in order. 

Hopper beat 2024 CrossFit Games champion James Sprague in SoCal in the only match in Reps Ahead history to be decided by a tiebreaker. 

• Sprague refers to the event as “Tiegate.” 

Nevertheless, Hopper won by decision and will now face second-place Games finisher Dallin Pepper at Reps Ahead Pro 6. The event will take place on January 23 in Miami during TYR Wodapalooza. 

• Brent Fikowski would be the next on the list, but it would likely take some convincing for him to come out of retirement. 

On the women’s side, Alex Gazan will take on Emma Lawson in the main event. These two rising stars are newcomers to Reps Ahead and will showcase their talents in this one-on-one format for the first time.

Remind me: The most recent event was Reps Ahead Pro 5, a two-day tournament that was held in Colorado in November. Arielle Loewen defeated Trista Smith, and James Sprague defeated Cole Greashaber in the championship matches. 

HIGHLIGHTS

Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.

• 🎂Happy birthday to Hope Murray. 

• Check out this monster squat clean double from Austin Hatfield at 165 kilos/365 pounds.

• Bronislaw Olenkowicz makes easy work of this 150-kilo/330-pound clean and jerk. Amazing lift, Bron!

• Well done to Kaiden Hogan on this 107-kilo/236-pound clean PR.

• 🏆Congratulations to Morning Chalk Up writer and photographer Scott Freymond on his win last weekend at Battle of the Ages in Caldwell, Idaho.