If haven’t seen it yet, Serbia’s Lazar Dukic crushed 19.1 with 411 reps. Not only that, but he shared the video so we can all watch what it takes to go that fast on wall balls and the Concept2 Rower. We caught up with Lazar this morning to find out how he was able to crush week 1 of the 2019 CrossFit Open.

The Barbell Spin: You absolutely crushed 19.1. When it was announced did you know it would be a good workout for you?

Lazar Dukic: I know I’m fast with wall balls and can row quite decently, so I did expect a good score, but definitely didn’t expect to take the first place worldwide.

TBBS: Did you have a strategy heading into the workout? Were you able to stick to that strategy?

LD: The only strategy I had was determining the rowing pace and optimizing transitions, whereas breaking the wallballs was not an option. After the first attempt, my score was 406, but since I felt I could have done more, I decided to redo it with slightly increased pace.

TBBS: What was your cals/hr pacing on the rower?

LD: My average was 1650 cals/hr.

TBBS: When you finished, did you think 411 reps would put you atop the leaderboard?

LD: I was aiming for top 20, but didn’t expect it would be the best score.

TBBS: What is your prediction for 19.2?

LD: Hoping for the repeat of 19.1.🙌

TBBS: How (and when) were you introduced to CrossFit? What was your athletic background prior to finding CrossFit?

LD: I’ve been playing water polo for 10 years until I was introduced to CrossFit in 2015 when I was in the US.

TBBS: How popular is CrossFit in Serbia? Do you think the recent CrossFit Games changes will benefit the sport in your country (and others outside of the United States)?

LD: Its popularity is increasing with each year. I don’t think the changes will influence CrossFit in Serbia, but I hope they will bring benefits to the sport in the long term.

TBBS: What are your goals for the 2019 CrossFit Games season?

LD: My major goal is to qualify for the CrossFit Games and enter the circle of the big names of this sport and hopefully stay there for the years to come.

I also plan on competing at several smaller competitions and some sanctioned events.

Keep an eye on Dukic as the Open continues and make sure to follow him on Instagram (@lazadjukic).