Welcome back to, what will be a semi regular feature on our site – Athlete Spotlight (Yes, it has been a long while). Athlete Spotlight is a chance to highlight Coastal CrossFit athletes who have demonstrated admirable character traits – they may have been picked for their athletic prowess, their great attitude or teamwork or someone who has made an inspiring lifestyle change through CrossFit. We hope you enjoy this new feature! The first athlete in the Athlete Spotlight is Claudio Cellie.
Claudio is this editions choice for his commitment and dedication to his training & nutrition. Although Claudio has trained with us since March 2017 many of you would not realize that Claudio is currently finishing his final year of high school. While juggling his studies, helping out with the family business (Baci Gelato Caffe, at Caloundra), maintaining a part time job, and his own side project of promotional video’s for local businesses, Claudio continues to be consistent in his training generally 3-5 times per week riding to the box most afternoons. Claudio consistently shows maturity and discipline beyond his years through training and social interaction. Despite injury he is always looking for ways to improve through improvement of technique aiming to be better in all facets of health and fitness. We have been immensely impressed by Claudio in the short time we have known him and look forward to seeing him continue to progress in CrossFit and life. We hope you enjoy getting to know Claudio.
· Many would be surprised to hear you are in your final year at school as you come across as older due to your maturity and possibly your height. You and your family have traveled a lot and you have been lucky enough to have some great experiences which I am sure has made you the young man you are today. Tell us a bit about yourself, your experience to date and how you and your family came to live on the Sunshine Coast and you came to train with us at Coastal CrossFit.
I was born and lived in Italy for six years as my father is Italian and my mother is Hungarian. We eventually moved out to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for nine years which is where I started my competitive swimming. Throughout my swimming ‘career’ I have come across and trained with multiple Olympic athletes and coaches who have all allowed me to start racing at international competitions. Eventually I have gotten black line fever so I decided to start doing open water competitions just to change things up a bit. My mum’s strong passion for running and my abilities in the water have all slowly led me towards Triathlon, which was an up and coming sport in Dubai. I fell in love with the sport instantly and still am till this day. I have once again had an amazing opportunity to meet and train with Australian Ironman Champion Chris McCormack and the Brownlee Brothers who have all helped me expand my knowledge of the sport. In 2014, my family and I have travelled across the world to Australia as we wanted to begin a new chapter in a less chaotic city and have a beach in the backyard, while still continuing Triathlon. Along the way other team members have introduced me to cycling events which I have taken part of every once in a while, as a hobby and to put my cycling race skills on the line for my Triathlon events. Throughout that journey I have started to realise that I had great cardio but very little physical strength which was a weakness that I definitely wanted to improve on. However, I wasn’t a fan of going to gyms and lifting dumbbells on my own so very luckily with a lot of scavenging through the internet I have come across Coastal CrossFit Queensland. Like any other sport that I have done it took me a while to integrate but once I started seeing results in performance and most importantly in technique it has become addictive. Both Marie and Chris Saliba (Coaches) have taken an amazing amount of time to teach me everything they know all the way from technique of movements, sports phycology and nutrition. They have also had an amazing amount of patience with me throughout injuries and most importantly with my study schedule, which is something that I haven’t experienced from other coaches before.
· What is your favourite movie?
My favourite movie is The Wolf of Wall Street.
· You have many hidden talents- tell us a bit about your passions.
Apart from sports I enjoy being creative and productive at the same time. I have a growing passion for film where I utilize my self-taught skills to create short films for personal adventures and promotions of local businesses.
Claudio is currently working on a promotional video for “Maverick” keep an eye out for this one.
· What is your favourite and worse workout why?
My favourite workout so far has been anything with the big 3km run loop which was: In 30 minutes:
Run Loop (3km approx.)
then…
AMRAP in remaining time of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Sit-ups
30 Double-unders
This of course is because running is one of my strengths and it gives me a big advantage over the other athletes during this workout.
My least favourite workout so far has been: Five rounds, each for time of:
Row 400m
15 Burpees (over the rower)
*Rest as necessary between rounds.
This is one of the very few workouts, if not only that I dread seeing on the board as every rep is a physical and mental battle and each round gets harder while still needing to hold your pace to achieve the best overall time possible.
· You are currently working out your career path following school. What are you planning on doing and where do you see yourself in the future?
I am currently focusing on my last year of High School which will then lead me into University. I am yet to lock in a career path as I know there is so much out there for me to master and turn it into my day to day job, but I am definite that whatever I will choose will keep me motivated no matter what challenges come with the job.
Claudio, it is great having you as a part of our community. We wish you all the luck going forward and know that you will succeed in whatever path you choose to travel.
