The 20th CrossFit Games rolled into its second day of individual action at the SAP Center, and two names have separated themselves at the top. Here’s your Day Two recap, plus the full top 15 men and top 15 women.

The 2026 CrossFit Games are officially cooking. After a brutal opening day that left athletes cramping on the competition floor, San Jose served up a second day designed to sort the contenders from the pretenders. Two athletes have already stamped their authority on this Games — James Sprague on the men’s side and Aimee Cringle on the women’s — while a big contingent of Aussies and Kiwis are lurking dangerously close to the pointy end.

Here’s how it stands.

The state of play

The former Fittest Man on Earth, James Sprague, is doing former-champion things. He gutted out a nasty opening day better than anyone and carried a narrow lead into the second day of individual competition — but Utah’s Dallin Pepper is right on his heels, just five points back. Behind them, a three-way logjam of Justin Medeiros, Australia’s Jay Crouch and fellow Aussie Ricky Garard are separated by a single point, setting up a genuine five-way title race.

On the women’s side, Britain’s Aimee Cringle has been the story of the Games so far. She built a commanding lead by attacking event after event — winning the Ranch 7200m and the Grass Track Race outright — and now sits 38 points clear of compatriot Lucy Campbell. Australia’s Madeline Sturt is flying the flag in third after taking the opening Hopper workout, proving her engine belongs in any conversation about the podium.

Men’s leaderboard — Top 15 (through Day Two)

Note: reigning back-to-back champion Jayson Hopper sits eighth and has plenty of ground to make up — but if anyone knows how to grind back into a Games, it’s him.

Women’s leaderboard — Top 15 (through Day Two)

Event highlights

The Hopper set the tone. In a nod to the 20th anniversary, the original 2007 Hopper from Dave Castro’s Aromas ranch made its return, and it bit hard. Australia’s Jay Crouch won the men’s version in 7:11, while Madeline Sturt took the women’s in 8:03 — two southern-hemisphere statements before lunch on day one.

The Ranch 7200m rewarded the engines. Ricky Garard edged Sprague on the men’s long run, and Aimee Cringle stamped her class with a dominant women’s win — the run that arguably launched her onto the top of the leaderboard.

Strength events shook things up. Colten Mertens was a monster across the CrossFit Total, topping both the men’s squat (555 lb) and press (260 lb), while Patrick Vellner — competing in what he’s said will be his final Games season — ripped a 605 lb deadlift to win that lift outright. On the women’s side, Kyra Milligan squatted 370 lb and Alex Gazan pressed a huge 170 lb.

The Grass Track Race was chaos. The men’s field finished within seconds of each other, Moritz Fiebig just pipping Pepper and Crouch in a blanket finish (18:15.77 to 18:16.16).

The Aussie & Kiwi watch 🦘

For the TWL community, there’s plenty to cheer:

• Jay Crouch (4th) and Ricky Garard (5th) are both live for a men’s podium, separated by a single point.
• Madeline Sturt (3rd) and Ellie Turner (9th) have both cracked the women’s top 10.
• Bayley Martin (NZL, 13th) is holding his own in a stacked men’s field.
• On the team floor, Australia’s Homefront CrossFit PRVN smashed the Day Two team running event (“5K the Hard Way”) in 46:44 — the fastest of the field — showing the depth of talent coming out of our part of the world.

What’s next

The individual field still has a mountain to climb, with events 13 through 20 spread across Saturday and Sunday to crown the 2026 Fittest on Earth — and a $312,000 cheque waiting for each winner. With the men’s race this tight and Cringle looking to close out a breakout Games, the weekend is set up to deliver.