(video) Superfit Azadeh Boroumand called "Untouchable" at CrossFit Games
Muscular and fit, Iranian-American Azadeh Boroumand dazzled everyone by dominating the South Central regional CrossFit games in Texas. The Games' Official website writes: "Azadeh Bouromand cannot be stopped ... On the women’s side, Boroumand was the standard bearer ... and became a record holder after Event 6. She was just one muscle-up shy of finishing the entire workout. If any of the region’s athletes deserved the title of superhero, it was Boroumand, as she was untouchable in this competition."
With her victory, Boroumand will be packing her bags in July for 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games in Carson, California.
When she was three, Azadeh Boroumand’s family immigrated to Alberta, Canada. In this fight, Boroumand was instilled with a spirit of survival and perseverance that would one day emanate through her during every workout. “Growing up, our first language was Farsi, and my dad had to grind to get us through,” says Boroumand. “We grew up on literally nothing. On top of that, my mother was diagnosed with minor schizophrenia. Despite all those challenges though, my dad never let it stop him and we made it through.”
Boroumand sees her father’s sense of resolve and determination expressed through her as the fortitude she possesses when the bar starts to weigh heavy, or the reps begin to climb. “Because of him, I put my heart and soul into everything I do. Because of my parents I know that I’m blessed and I can’t take this opportunity for granted. I push myself to my limits to make them proud and show my appreciation for their strength.”
Throughout her youth, Boroumand’s personal and athletic tenacity was constantly pressed. “My father was a physical education teacher and wrestling coach, so he always made competition and sports an important part of our lives,” she recalls. “He pushed us to work hard and believe that we could do anything.”
Her motivation led to a successful stretch as a collegiate athlete for the University of Pittsburgh women’s volleyball team. Throughout her time as a Division 1 athlete, Boroumand broke school records and received the ranking of first among all Big East Conference players and 47th nationally among setters. She was also named a BIG EAST Conference Academic All-Star while contributing to the Top Women's Team GPA Award as a senior. Boroumand graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in French on December 2007.
While challenges aren’t new to Boroumand, her resolve in the CrossFit arena was first tested in 2011. At the end of the 2011 Open, she finished at 3rd place in the South Central region and 25th worldwide. She had high hopes for qualification to the CrossFit Games. At the Regional competition, however, difficulty in some of the early workouts, and an equipment malfunction during the first evemt of the final day would usurp her aspirations.
She has come back in 2012 with an amazing start, deserving titles such as "superhero" and "untouchable!" Iranians would be watching her in Carson, California in July.
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