In 2012, Chandler Smith set a goal: to compete in the 2022 CrossFit Games. He made it in 2019 instead—and took 15th in his rookie year.

But Chandler is more than an up-and-coming CrossFit Games athlete. He's also a West Point graduate and a captain in the United States Army.

Here, he speaks with Sean Woodland about what it was like growing up the son of an NFL player, the challenges of attending West Point military academy and how achieving his goal four years early has helped him build confidence in the sport of fitness.

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Instagram: @blacksmifff

Timeline:

1:35 – What it’s like to have a dad in the NFL.

4:59 – Finding a home in wrestling.

7:41 – The inappropriate book swap that made Chandler want to join the Army. 

10:17 – Applying to West Point.

11:50 – Day One at West Point: The weight of infinite possibility.

13:34 – Balancing wrestling and academics as a cadet.

15:52 – Lessons learned from cadet training.

17:42 – CrossFit as training for West Point.

19:56 – Discovering his competitive edge.

22:09 – Competing at Regionals for the first time.

25:11 – The freak accident of 2017.

29:52 – Recovering and learning to train with slightly less finger. 

31:45 – Building confidence after a 40th-place Open finish in 2019.

33:22 – Exceeding expectations at the Rogue Invitational.

36:04 – The new structure of the Games and meeting his goal four years early.

37:33 – Chandler Smith: Then and now.

39:37 – Winning the Mayhem Classic and recovering from another hand injury.

42:07 – Reflecting on it all: Proud to represent the unrepresented.