Former South Shields labourer who turned athlete after being placed on furlough during pandemic wins Fittest Man in the UK 2022

Reggie Fasa, of South Shields, was crowned Fittest Man in the UK after competing at the CrossFit Strength in Depth semi-final event last month in London.

He secured the highest British male finish across both European semi-final events for the CrossFit Games, with a place in the top 10. He beat former Fittest Man in the UK, Zack George, for the title.

The 27-year-old became a full-time athlete two years ago after he was furloughed his job as a labourer.

Reggie said: “I am beyond buzzing to officially be the Fittest Man in the UK. This past year I’ve made some changes to how I attack certain workouts and it’s so rewarding to see all the hard work paying off. I know I’ve still got so much more to give and can’t wait get back to work to show that next season.”

The former Newcastle Falcons rugby player first took up CrossFit just five years ago after dropping out of rugby due to injuries and glandular fever and only starting training full-time in 2020 when nationwide lockdowns were imposed due to COVID-19.

In 2017 whilst still working full-time Reggie competed in his first Open in 2017 finishing 109th worldwide.

Reggie said the global pandemic gave him the opportunity to focus on his training.

“After finishing fourth in the 2020 Open, Reggie took the leap to move away from home and train full-time to reach his full potential.”

It was not longer after that Reggie won the European CrossFit Games Quarterfinals in 2021, finishing 13th in the Lowlands Throwdown Semi-Final.

The final stage of the competition is The 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.

The top five male athletes from each Semi-final advance to The CrossFit Games. Reggie’s 10th place finish means he will not advance to the next stage of the competition, but he is already focused on qualifying for his sport in 2023 and defending his title as The UK’s Fittest Man.