Kuwaiti-Based Perform Athletics Pushes Into CrossFit Market; Signs Ant Haynes and Luka ?uki?

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Athletic apparel companies like Gymshark, TYR Sports, NOBULL, and HSTL MADE have added countless big-name CrossFit competitors to their rosters throughout the past year. For the most part, these are well-known brands based in North America or Europe — but another company breaking onto the scene and sponsoring top-tier names is Perform Athletics. The company recently made an impact by signing both Ant Haynes and Luka ?uki? as their first two sponsored competitors.

[Related: Close Races and Questionable Calls Dominate Men’s Major CrossFit Off-Season Competitions]
Perform Athletics is unique because it’s located in the Middle East — Kuwait, to be specific — and is part of a growing CrossFit scene in the region that already includes the Dubai Fitness Championship and Egypt’s ELFIT CrossFit Championship. Seeing a brand from this part of the world reach out and support athletes from different continents is a big step forward in integrating the Middle Eastern CrossFit scene with the rest of the global competitive community.
Major CrossFit Names Join Perform Athletics
Ant Haynes was announced as a Perform Athlete back on August 14th. He’s a two-time CrossFit Games athlete (2019 and 2020) and has competed in Regionals dating back to 2014. He placed fifth at the Far East Semifinal in Asia last season, but with the top two finishers likely out of the equation in 2023, he can find himself back in contention.

[Related: The Best CrossFit Warm-Up to Help You Crush Your Next WOD]
Roman Khrennikov won that Semifinal in 2022, but the rules changes in 2023 mean he will likely compete in North America next year, where he lives with his family. Nasser Alruwayeh failed his drug test and is serving a two-year ban. This leaves the window open for Haynes to take advantage in 2023.
Luka ?uki? joined the Perform Athletics team on December 9th. The company’s Instagram post recognizes some of ?uki?’s more notable achievements, including making the CrossFit Games in 2021 (he finished 29th); winning the German Throwdown in 2021; taking 9th and 7th, respectively, at the 2021 and 2022 Dubai Championships; and taking 6th place last May at the Lowlands Throwdown Semifinals.

[Related: The 12 Best Leg Exercises for CrossFitters for Strong, Powerful Legs]
?uki? is a notable signing for Perform Athletics. He shares a similar skill set to his older brother, Lazar, who placed in the top 10 at the CrossFit Games in 2021 and 2022. Luka has the potential to be that type of threat at the Games if he follows a similar trajectory and has the necessary support in place.
How Brands Help CrossFit Athletes
Brands can be critical to athletes looking for a big breakthrough, since these sponsorship deals alleviate some of the stress surrounding competitions, including equipment, apparel, shoes, supplements, and the cost of travel. Whether or not these partnerships improve the pathways back to the Games for ?uki? and Haynes is something only time will tell.
More CrossFit Stories
Here’s the latest CrossFit content from BarBend just in case you missed out:

Featured Image: @performathletics.me on Instagram

Athletic apparel companies like Gymshark, TYR Sports, NOBULL, and HSTL MADE have added countless big-name CrossFit competitors to their rosters throughout the past year. For the most part, these are well-known brands based in North America or Europe — but another company breaking onto the scene and sponsoring top-tier names is Perform Athletics. The company recently made an impact by signing both Ant Haynes and Luka ?uki? as their first two sponsored competitors.



[Related: Close Races and Questionable Calls Dominate Men’s Major CrossFit Off-Season Competitions]


Perform Athletics is unique because it’s located in the Middle East — Kuwait, to be specific — and is part of a growing CrossFit scene in the region that already includes the Dubai Fitness Championship and Egypt’s ELFIT CrossFit Championship. Seeing a brand from this part of the world reach out and support athletes from different continents is a big step forward in integrating the Middle Eastern CrossFit scene with the rest of the global competitive community.


Major CrossFit Names Join Perform Athletics
Ant Haynes was announced as a Perform Athlete back on August 14th. He’s a two-time CrossFit Games athlete (2019 and 2020) and has competed in Regionals dating back to 2014. He placed fifth at the Far East Semifinal in Asia last season, but with the top two finishers likely out of the equation in 2023, he can find himself back in contention.



[Related: The Best CrossFit Warm-Up to Help You Crush Your Next WOD]


Roman Khrennikov won that Semifinal in 2022, but the rules changes in 2023 mean he will likely compete in North America next year, where he lives with his family. Nasser Alruwayeh failed his drug test and is serving a two-year ban. This leaves the window open for Haynes to take advantage in 2023.


Luka ?uki? joined the Perform Athletics team on December 9th. The company’s Instagram post recognizes some of ?uki?’s more notable achievements, including making the CrossFit Games in 2021 (he finished 29th); winning the German Throwdown in 2021; taking 9th and 7th, respectively, at the 2021 and 2022 Dubai Championships; and taking 6th place last May at the Lowlands Throwdown Semifinals.



[Related: The 12 Best Leg Exercises for CrossFitters for Strong, Powerful Legs]


?uki? is a notable signing for Perform Athletics. He shares a similar skill set to his older brother, Lazar, who placed in the top 10 at the CrossFit Games in 2021 and 2022. Luka has the potential to be that type of threat at the Games if he follows a similar trajectory and has the necessary support in place.


How Brands Help CrossFit Athletes
Brands can be critical to athletes looking for a big breakthrough, since these sponsorship deals alleviate some of the stress surrounding competitions, including equipment, apparel, shoes, supplements, and the cost of travel. Whether or not these partnerships improve the pathways back to the Games for ?uki? and Haynes is something only time will tell.


More CrossFit Stories
Here’s the latest CrossFit content from BarBend just in case you missed out:



Featured Image: @performathletics.me on Instagram




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