Jake Douglas is rightfully feeling on top of the world, albeit a bit exhausted.
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The Snake Athletic owner and coach has finally achieved the goal he has poured his heart and soul into for the past eight years.
In finishing third in the Oceania semi-finals on the weekend, Douglas stamped his ticket to Madison, Wisconsin for the CrossFit Games.
He will now compete to be crowned the fittest man on earth in August.
After arriving home from Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon Douglas told The Leader that it still hadn't really sunk in yet.
"This has been my goal for eight years now. To finally say I've made it to the CrossFit Games feels really special," he said.
Held as part of the Torian Pro 2023, it didn't stop there for Douglas. The 32-year-old also set a new world record en route to winning workout 4 (it has since been broken by someone in the US).
Requiring competitors to complete an 800m run and then achieve the maximum snatch they can all in six minutes, after completing the run component, in the two minutes he had remaining Douglas lifted 225 pounds (102.06 kilograms), 275lb, 295lb and finally 310lb (141kg) to better the world record by 5lb.
He also finished first in workout three and had three other top 10 placings.
Gym manager Mat Crowe admitted he was a little bit lost for words seeing his good mate finally realise his dream.
"There's a whole bunch of emotions," he said.
"I've just seen how hard he's worked and the sacrifices he's had to make."
He confessed there were a few tears shed among the crew up there after Douglas was announced in third.
"He decided to do it in 2015 and has had a few setbacks with injuries and whatnot over the years but finally he's got it done," he said.
It went down to the wire with only 26 points in the end separating him and fourth.
Crowe said he thought after Douglas' last workout he'd done enough but wasn't game to celebrate until it was all official. He didn't want to jinx it.
"Then when his name got called it was like the roof got lifted off the place," he said.
Douglas' qualification topped off a great event for the gym with their two other competitors, Georgia Pryer and Maisie Wilde, also achieving some incredible results.
Competing in the teen division (16-17) of the Oceania Championships, Wilde won the overall silver medal.
Crowe said it was an "amazing" performance, especially given she has been doing crossfit for less than 12 months and it was her first competition of that scale.
"She's literally come on the scene and just picked it up so well," he said.
She finished fourth or higher in all six of her tests, winning two of them.
Pryer meanwhile had "a cracking weekend" in her Oceania semi-finals.
"She ended up seventh, which is an improvement on last year, and exceeded all expectations," Crowe said.
She placed in three of her seven workouts with two thirds and a second to finish.
Fellow former Tamworth gymnast Julia Hannaford was a place behind her in eighth.
