Did you know Pat Vellner injured himself during the Games? Probably not, considering he made one heck of a comeback to finish the week in second place. However, the Battleground event had him on the floor and coughing up blood. He shared the scary story on Instagram.
Freaky? To say the least. We’re glad to hear Vellner made it through the events safely, and can we just talk about how resilient he is? To not only make such a huge comeback following the crit, but also get through the remainder of the competition while coughing up blood, is pretty impressive, if you ask us.
With the 2018 CrossFit Games in the rearview mirror and the 2019 season looming on the horizon, what better way to celebrate than to look back at some of the greatest moments of the past week? From Spealler using every ounce of his being to push a sled to an over-the-top Josh Bridges celebration, the Games has a history of producing some of the most iconic moments in our sport. This year was no exception. Here are 10 of the greatest moments from this year’s CrossFit Games.
These are the moments that separate CrossFit from so many other sports. In what other sport do you see competitors cheering each other on when someone is struggling to finish an event? With the threat of not finishing and being eliminated from the competition looming overhead, Pichelli, who was suffering from extreme cramping, battled through all 42,195m on the rower to the cheers of the crowd and her fellow competitors. They always say the loudest cheers are reserved for the last person on the floor.
2. Chaos
For sure one of the most unique workouts Dave Castro has ever cooked up. All 40 athletes were marched out onto the field without ever being told what the workout was. Every time they progressed to a new station they were told the reps that needed to be completed. It forced athletes to game plan on the fly and let their fitness speak most of all.
3. Froning’s Comeback on the Bicouplet
You can never count out the champ. Team CrossFit Mayhem Freedom started slow in this workout, hanging out toward the middle of the pack through the first two athletes, but thankfully they had four-time individual and two-time team champ Rich Froning as their anchor. With two teams ahead of him before the final couplet, he closed the gap, passed both teams, and walked across the finish line to secure a 1st-place finish in the event.
With some of the heavy hitters in the field – Brooke Wells, Kara Saunders, etc. – I doubt many people had Tia on the short list of potential winners of the CrossFit Total. But just like she did all weekend, she showed why she was the defending champ. It’s always fun to look back. The last time the CrossFit Games did the CF Total was back in 2007. Back then, the winning score was 530lbs – Tia topped that by 345lbs!
Vellner wasn’t shy to admit that he was disappointed he wasn’t able to stand on the podium in Madison last year after he was retroactively awarded 3rd place. You put in all that work, usually by yourself, all year long. This is your chance for recognition – and he got robbed of it. It was nice to see him actually stand on the podium this time around. Also, this makes him one of only three other athletes to stand on the podium every time they’ve competed at the Games. The other two? Rich Froning and Mat Fraser.
Being a former Division 1 collegiate running back has its perks. Also, having Mat Fraser breathing down your neck doesn’t hurt either. While so many other athletes struggled with the Rescue Randy drag, Cole Sager showed his savage power, grabbing the dummy by the vest with one arm and sprinting to the finish.
You know, just doing some average 22-year-old things like snatching 315lbs at the CrossFit Games. If you don’t know Tola Morakinyo, his Instagram is littered with feats of strength and freakishly strong lifts – the link above shows him hit a 300lbs hang snatch for a double! He put up the heaviest weight in the team snatch event with a laughably easy 315lbs before narrowly missing 335lbs.
Everyone loves a ladder. They are designed to be rise-to-your-feet, adrenaline pumping, show-stopping events. This year was no exception, with Nick Urankar asking the crowd to cheer him on and help him lift the 345lb bar overhead.
Georges out of nowhere – not once but twice. Rookie Willie Georges – the first individual qualifier from France – took 1st and 2nd overall in the Bicouplet 1 and 2. Better yet, he won his heat both times amongst the leaders of the pack. That’s what made it even more special. The camera was fixated on Noah and Fraser the whole workout before Georges, in the furthest lane, snuck in to beat them both. He then repeated that effort a second time in the Bicouplet 2.
Cassidy Lance-Mcwherter had nothing to gain and everything to lose with her last clean and jerk. By this point, the other four women in the heat had finished, which meant Cassidy was locked into a 5th place finish in the event – so there was really no point to even attempt that final bar and risk injury. But, unwilling to disappoint the crowd and after a few failed attempts, she managed to clean and jerk her final weight to thunderous applause.
Last week was one giant adrenaline rush. We saw the most skilled athletes in the world compete for a spot on the podium and the coveted title of Fittest on Earth. Some saw their greatest dreams realized. Others narrowly missed out on victory. And for a few of them? Things didn’t go the way they planned at all.
Despite the last 12 months of preparation, despite their lives revolving around the sport, some of the competitors weren’t able to finish the Games. Whether it was due to injury or too much of a struggle completing the minimum work requirement for an event, these athletes’ names are followed by the dreaded “WD” on the Games leaderboard.
No, it wasn’t the way they imagined things going, but there is this: despite the outcome, these competitors have held their heads up and maintained a positive attitude, even in the face of disappointment. And that is pretty darn impressive.
Just like that, another competitive season is over. The 2018 CrossFit Games have concluded, and what a week it was. The fittest athletes from around the globe gathered in Madison to leave it all on the competition floor.
Competitors train all year for these few days, and while only a small handful walk away with podium finishes, it goes without saying each of them put on one heck of a performance. Here’s what 19 of them had to say about the Games this year.
The 2017 Fittest Man and Woman on Earth established early leads during the 2018 CrossFit Games. Mat Fraser held onto first place starting on Day 1, and while Tia-Clair Toomey was in second place after Day 1 behind rookie Laura Horvath, by the end of Day 3 (Day 2 was a rest day), she had moved up the leaderboard. This happened after what was arguably the hardest first day of the CrossFit Games ever. If it’s a sport that boasts bringing together multiple fitness disciplines (and it does), the first day of the CrossFit Games this year proved it.
We all know by now being the fittest is about being good at everything — not an easy task to accomplish. How did Toomey and Fraser get to the top of the podium this year? Let’s look back at the strategy that helped them with the gold.
Day 1
Crit:
Fraser, 4th
Toomey, 5th
The glory of the crit is that Fraser wasn’t taken out. As he came around the final turn, his bike skidded and he almost went to the ground before he managed to correct his bike at the last minute and finished 4th. Toomey took 5th, but the top five women all fell within two seconds of each other.
Fraser completed 29 before getting a no-rep. He took a moment to collect himself, then got back up and cranked out his 30th rep. Toomey held on for the longest on the women’s side with the first 20 muscle-ups, before coming in 2nd (by one second) to Kristi Eramo.
CrossFit Total:
Fraser, 8th
Toomey, 1st
Fraser’s total was 1,215, which was just enough to stay in the top 10, without wrecking his body for the following day. (Yes, maxing out means major muscle soreness the next day, which is why strategizing was key for Fraser during this event.) Toomey’s performance was nothing short of amazing, with a total of 875 — this in contrast to the 411-pound average total in 2011.
Marathon row:
Fraser, 10th
Toomey, 14th
Both athletes placed the worst they did all weekend during the row. Was pacing on the marathon row the key to success this year? Considering that on the women’s side, 1st and 2nd place finishers Margaux Alvarez and Whitney Gelin finished the weekend in 22nd and 28th respectively, it might have been.
Fikowski hinted at how hard it is to recover from the marathon row in his blog post, where he wrote: “I was surprised at how little some of the athletes drank during the row. I’d be curious to see how that affects their recovery over the next few days. And I say curious, but what I really mean is, I don’t think it’s going to help them very much. Lol.”
After a rest day on Thursday, Toomey and Fraser came into Friday and Saturday ready to work.
The Battleground:
Fraser, 2nd
Toomey, 6th
Both athletes did about the same on the Battleground as they did during 2017’s Strong Man’s Fear, which involved moving a yoke, farmers log, and sled 150 feet across the field — which, while different, is one of those odd-object workouts athletes know to expect at the Games.
Clean and jerk speed ladder:
Fraser, 7th
Toomey, 2nd
In 2014 when this event first made an appearance, Fraser took 3rd. But this year he missed a 310-pound clean and jerk not once but twice. This was the only time this weekend when we saw Fraser push his body without success, which is uncharacteristic of the Fraser we usually see on the field.
Not surprising that Olympic lifter Toomey finished this event in the top three. What was surprising was that rookie Amanda Barnhart took first and was able to power clean all the weights!
Fibonacci:
Fraser, 1st
Toomey, 4th
Both Fraser and Toomey placed better during the Fibonacci this year than they did in 2017. Fraser dropped a full one minute and seven seconds, while Toomey added only three seconds despite the fact that Dave Castro increased the deficit handstand push-up reps for females.
This ability to take a previous year’s event and improve on it exemplifies why Fraser and Toomey were able to win yet again. Castro said the 2018 Games would be about knowing your CrossFit history (which is why it was with such confusion that repeat athletes like Brooke Wells and Lauren Fisher struggled on the peg board — which we saw for the third time in 2018 after having seen it in 2015 and 2016).
Here are more of the repeats we saw on course this year:
The half marathon row in 2013 was repeated as a full marathon row in 2018.
The CrossFit Total in 2007 returned for 2018.
The Fibonacci Final in 2017 repeated (with increased HSPU reps for women) in 2018.
The clean and jerk ladder in 2013 and 2015 repeated (with heavier weights) this year.
An obstacle course also happened in 2012 and 2015, and now 2018. (However, the courses themselves were quite different.)
On top of this, 2018 brought lots of random object carry events, such as the Battleground and Two-Stroke Pull, which at this point are a Dave Castro staple.
On all of these repeat events/movements, Fraser and Toomey showed not only improvement but comfort, mastery, and ease. When asked what she does that sets her apart from the other female athletes on the leaderboard, Toomey answered, “Just hard work and commitment.”
But this year she showed that it’s more than just hard work. It’s smart, hard work.
The men’s attack on this event was pretty epic with Dean Linder-Leighton, Brent Fikowski, James Newbury, Mat Fraser, and Khan Porter being the top five finishers. On the women’s side, despite claims that she doesn’t paddleboard often, Toomey smoked the paddleboard to take home 1st on this event. We’ll assume it’s her killer core strength.
Chaos:
Fraser, 9th
Toomey, 3rd
Chaos was kept a secret until athletes took the field and that means one thing: it required mental toughness. Going rep by rep until a judge tells you to stop? That’s rough. Not to mention that the event involved the Slug, which is a new “apparatus” for the sport.
Bicouplet 2:
Fraser, 2nd
Toomey, 6th
Bicouplet 1:
Fraser, 4th
Toomey, 4th
Grip: you either got it, or you don’t. And after Bicouplets 1 and 2, these athletes made it clear they do.
Day 5
Both Fraser and Toomey went into the last day of this year’s Games 138 and 114 points ahead of second place, respectively. Going into the final day, with three events left before the close of the 2018 season, there were 300 points up for grabs. In typical Fraser fashion, he’d only have to average 12th in order to take home the “W” this year, while Tia needed to maintain an average of 9th.
During the first two events, the Two-Stroke Pull and handstand walk, Fraser and Toomey held onto their leads.
Fraser: 4th on Two-Stroke Pull, 3rd on handstand walk
Toomey: 7th on Two-Stroke Pull, 10th on handstand walk
What separated these athletes from their competitors during these two events was their mental focus. After her 2016 season, everyone knew managing her mental game was Toomey’s expertise. Her nonstop mental strength training showed especially during the handstand walk, when the obstacle course gave her trouble.
Similarly, she showed mental endurance on the Two-Stroke Pull — this in contrast to Katrin Davidsdottir who, in the last 20 seconds of the event, had a moment of “quit” when rookie Laura Horvath surpassed her on the sled pull, which caused Katrin to lose to Horvath by 20-ish seconds and take 3rd in the event, as opposed to a close second.
Going into the last event, Aeneas, unless something *incredibly* unexpected happened, we already knew who the first-place podium finishers were. As long as Fraser completed the minimum work requirement on Event 11, he would be crowned the Fittest Man On Earth for the third year in a row.
On the women’s side, in order for Tia-Clair Toomey to lose, Laura Horvath would have to win and Toomey would have to fall outside of the top 25. Considering Toomey hadn’t fallen outside the top 14 in any event since 2017, the odds were in Toomey’s favor.
Toomey fought head-to-head with Horvath during Aeneas and ended up coming in second to her after a yoke carry fumble two-ish feet away from the finish line. Again, Toomey didn’t let this fluster her. She took a breath, picked up the yoke, and proudly took 2nd for that event.
Fraser may have had first place on lock, but he went into Aeneas guns blazing. He completed all five pegboards unbroken, never allowing his feet to touch the mat before climbing back up for another rep. It’s the confidence that Fraser is known for. He moved through the thrusters and yolk carry seamlessly to take 1st in that event.
With a 120-point lead on 2nd Fittest Man on Earth Patrick Vellner, Mat Fraser left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he is still the fittest. Toomey closed out the day with a 64-point lead on Laura Horvath, which is especially noteworthy after 2017, when there was the smallest point differential separating Toomey and Kara Saunders. This year, Toomey repeated the title with convincing command.
What did it come down to for them? Hard work. Commitment. Knowledge of the sport. And mental strength.
With those defining traits, Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey took home $285,000 for winning the 2017 CrossFit Games. And this year, they did it again — to the tune of $300,000.
Many of the competitors were capable of taking home the title, but Toomey and Fraser embody everything this sport is. After repeat wins, they’ve more than proven they are the masters of their sport.
Congratulations to ALL the athletes! It was a great season.
Sporting that much sought-after white and red Leader tee, CrossFit Mayhem Freedom “team captain” Rich Froning sat front and center during the release of the final event.
What was that final event? Exactly what you predicted: something involving the Worm—which is 11 feet long, 12 inches in diameter, and weighs in at 358 pounds.
Reminiscent of this years Regionals event 4, Lunging Worm is a series of 3 simple movements: burpee, lunge, and thruster, but it’s the ultimate leg blaster.
CrossFit Mayhem Freedom went into the final event boasting an 120 point lead. And with a 5th place finish at 14:18, CrossFit Mayhem Freedom secured their first-place finish.
In the interview afterward, Froning said he and his team didn’t want to celebrate until Castro officially announced the results, but he says they’re feeling good.
Congrats on a job well-done, CrossFit Mayhem Freedom.
If you had to do the The Lunging Worm or The Marathon Row for your workout of the day, which would you choose?
On August 3rd at Woof’s Bar—Madison WI’s ~premier~ downtown gay sports bar— CrossFit Founder Greg Glassman announced that beginning in the 2019 season, athletes will be eligible and invited to compete in the gender category that they identify (instead of by the sex assigned to them at birth).
“This is the right thing to do. CrossFit believes in the potential, capacity, and dignity of every athlete. We are proud of our LGBT community, including our transgender athletes, and we want you here with us,” said Glassman.
Glassman made the announcement at a “A Big Gay Happy Hour” hosted by OUTWOD—the largest national initiative for bringing together LGBTQ+ athletes and their allies to WOD together in a safe, inclusive fitness environment… all while raising funds for LGBTQ organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, Lambert House, Nashville Cares Fighting To End HIV/AIDS, Family Equality Council, and Los Angeles LGBT Center.
This policy change comes after some controversy earlier this summer when former Chief Knowledge Officer Russell Berger blatantly discriminated against the LGBTQ community with a series of tweets that have since been deleted.
CrossFit HQ responded to Berger’s tweets by officially terminating Berger, and issuing a statement on their social media site, quoting CEO Greg Glassman as saying he’s “crazy proud of the gay community in CrossFit. “The statements made by Russell Berger do not reflect the views of CrossFit Inc. For this reason, his employment with CrossFit has been terminated,” CrossFit HQ announced via Twitter.
“CrossFit is a diverse community in every way, and that’s what makes us strong. No matter who you are, how you’re built, what you believe, or who or how you love—we are proud of you,” CrossFit said.
OUTWOD and outspoken members of the community used this moment to highlight and expose the sport’s exclusion of transgender athletes.
LGBTQ+ athletes and allies have vocally opposed the CrossFit Games transgender policy since 2014 (and GLAAD launching a petition) when well-known athlete Chloie Jonsson sued CrossFit HQ for $2.5 million for discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and unfair competition after she was outed as trans by a gym member, and was subsequently informed that she would have to compete in the men’s division… despite having medically transitioned over a decade earlier.
The case was settled out of court, but apparently Jonsson was informed of this new policy a few hours before Glassman made the official announcement on Friday night.
“I always loved CrossFit so much for how inclusive it felt,” Jonsson told Them. “So when this all happened four years ago, it felt so divided. And now I’m hoping that it can all go back together again. I want it to feel like everyone is included, and everyone has the same opportunity.”
While the exact policies are still being metered out, we can expect the specifics to be released in the CrossFit HQ Rulebook. (Likely, this will mirror International Olympic Committee’s established policies and guidelines.)
Also worth mentioning, Greg Glassman presented OutWOD a check for $10,000. It’s safe to say that CrossFit is committed to improving their relationship with the LGBTQ+ community and its athletes.
The 2018 CrossFit Games are still going, but unless something *incredibly* unexpected happens, we already know who our first-place podium finishers are.
For the third straight year Matt Fraser has put himself in an incredible position going the last event. This year, as long as he completes the minimum work requirement on Event 11, he will be crowned The Fittest Man On Earth for the third year in a row.
On the women’s side, in order for Tia-Clair Toomey to lose, Laura Horvath will have to win Event 11 and Toomey will have to fall outside of the top 25. While rookie Horvath showed that she has what it takes to win an event when she won Battleground, Toomey hasn’t fallen outside of the top 14 in any event since 2017. So the odds are definitely in Toomey’s favor.
That said, the winners haven’t been officially announced, and Fraser and Toomey have yet to complete Event 11.
What do you think? Will they win or will the unexpected happen?
He finished the hefty swim/paddle/run in just 26:37.51. Brent Fikowski and James Newbury entered the stadium neck-and-neck and broke into a full-out sprint for second place. Fikowski squeezed in at 26:52.44, and Newbury was just behind him at 26:52.66.
Congrats on a job well done, gentlemen!
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Today’s events for the 2018 CrossFit Games started with the Madison Triplus: a 500m swim, 1,000m paddle, and 2,000m run. While she didn’t maintain the lead the entire time, Tia-Clair Toomey proved it didn’t matter and ended up taking the event win.
Getting back into the water with the paddleboard, Toomey was actually in third, behind Kristi Eramo and Amanda Barnhart. The latter two women chose to paddle on their bellies. Toomey, however, knelt. This might have been the game-changer, and Toomey ended up passing both women in the water.
By the time the run came along, Toomey and Eramo were side by side, but Toomey created the space she needed to comfortably take first.
In her interview afterward, she said she chose to row from her knees because it was more efficient. While women rowing on their stomachs were likely relying on their shoulders, doing so from a kneeling position allows you to use your hips more.
Well done, Tia!
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The Battleground event tested athletes’ strength, speed, endurance, coordination, and balance. It was functional fitness at its finest. While some athletes, like Laura Horvath (who took the event win), excelled, others ran into a little trouble, like Emily Bridgers. When she dropped down from the rope wall during the obstacle course segment, Bridgers landed funny and sustained an injury. She explained what happened in an Instagram post.
Bridgers had previously announced this would be her last year competing. This wasn’t the way she expected to finish her career, but we’ve got to say, we admire her attitude. Here’s to you, Emily!
Rookie? This woman is a rookie? You would never know looking at her. It’s Laura Horvath’s first time competing at the CrossFit Games, but she’s demolishing these events like a seasoned pro. It didn’t take her long to grab her first event win, with the Battleground. The Rescue Randy drag, rope climbs, and obstacle course proved to be nothing for Horvath, and she crossed the finish line in record time.
Horvath completed the event in 9:29.76, beating the next fastest athlete — Kristin Holte — by a significant margin. Holte finished in 10:04.33. Roughly four seconds behind her was Katrin Davidsdottir.
Horvath’s “worst” finish (if you can call it that) thus far was seventh place in the CrossFit Total. She may be surrounded by Games veterans, but this rookie isn’t messing around.
