David Shorunke — Enjoying the Highs and Lows of His CrossFit Journey

“I think because of how much of a grind it’s been to get to this point and the hurdles that I’ve had to overcome … when it comes to qualifying and everything that happened in 2020 and then also following Emma to the Games those two years and getting to see it from her perspective … getting to see that experience and combining that with what it's taken to get here, my only focus for the next period running up to the Games and including the Games is just to enjoy it. … Enjoy it as much as I can.”
Two-time CrossFit Games athlete David Shorunke joins host Adrian Conway on the show to chat about his Semifinal performance, qualifying for the Games after a long journey, and balancing life as a full-time athlete.
Shorunke grew up playing basketball and also rowed while studying exercise science in university. He was interested in joining the Royal Marines in the United Kingdom and began CrossFit as a way to test himself and prepare for the demands of the military.
After qualifying for the 2014 Europe Regional and finishing 10th, Shorunke decided to pursue CrossFit competitively.
Despite competing at the Games twice — once on a team in 2016 and once virtually in 2020 — Shorunke will make his first individual, in-person appearance at the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games this August.
In today’s episode, Shorunke reflects on his Europe Semifinal experience and his seventh-place overall finish. He describes the highs and lows, adapting to challenges during the competition, and bouncing back from less-desirable performances as he reviews the tests.
Looking ahead to the finale in Madison as a recent full-time athlete, Shorunke shares how he’s using his Semifinal experience to focus his training, opening up about the benefits of having dedicated time to work toward achieving his goals. He also gives insight on the differences between training as a competitive athlete and an everyday athlete as well as the importance of recovery.
Tune in to learn more about the ups and downs of Shorunke’s CrossFit journey, finding the “ultimate” companion in Games athlete Emma Tall, and what he’s looking forward to after his professional CrossFit career.