THE Highlands boasted three outstanding CrossFit athletes during the recent Australian Hero Games.

The hero games was held in CrossFit boxes across the country to recognise and honour service men and women who lost their lives in combat.

The event also aimed to raise money for selected charities, which support the welfare of Australia's service men and women's families.

CrossFit Southern Highlands athletes Megan and Annette Drapalski and Naomi Benedetti performed strongly during the hero games on December 6.

Megan and Annette finished second in Australia in the open female and over-50 female categories respectively.

Benedetti was third in the female 40-49 age class.

This year's Australian Hero Games honoured Corporal Mathew 'Hoppy' Hopkins who was killed while conducting a patrol near Kakarak when his team was engaged by a group of about 20 Taliban.

The charity nominated by Corporal Hopkins' next of kin for Hero WOD Hoppy was Walking Wounded because of the outstanding support they gave after his death.

This year's workout was a 17-minute AMRAP (as many reps/rounds as possible), consisting of 21 lateral bar burpees, eight front rack forward lunges and three ground-to-overhead lifts.

* To view more photos from the Australian Hero Games at CrossFit Southern Highlands, click here.