CrossFit Games

Staff Picks: Our Top 7 Moments from the 2020 CrossFit Games

October 26, 2020 by
Photo courtesy of CrossFit LLC.
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Highs, lows and everything in between; the 2020 CrossFit Games is over. After three days and 12 events, here are our favorite moments from the weekend.

Photo courtesy of CrossFit LLC.

The camaraderie of all the athletes. This year more than any in recent memory, there was a closeness, an intimacy between the ten athletes competing. And because there were no packed stadiums or loud music, you could hear athletes talking to one another. In a particularly intimate moment, Katrin Davidsdottir comes over to Noah Ohlsen to offer him some comfort, and support.

Mathew Fraser winning an historic fifth CrossFit Games. We’ve been saying it all weekend, but Fraser’s performance is not only historic in terms of our sport, but sports in general. As he nearly swept the entire field in ten of 12 events, and even then he took second, it was by the narrowest of margins. What may have been up for debate earlier in the season is now over — Fraser is the greatest CrossFit Games athlete of all time.

Tia-Clair Toomey and Mathew Fraser working out together. Before the start of Atalanta, Fraser and Toomey agreed to do the whole workout together through the runs, handstand push-ups, pistols and pull-ups. Throughout the event, you could see the two moving in unison, even wearing the same fishing hats and taking water breaks at the same time. The two champions gave fans a photo finish at the end, holding hands as they crossed the finish line.

Justin Medeiros and Mathew Fraser sprinting to the finish. In a classic Dave Castro move, athletes were caught by surprise when they discovered that they would have to repeat the Ranch Loop course in reverse, going back up and down hills for another three-plus miles. No one felt this more than Medeiros and Fraser, who sprinted to what they thought was the finish line and were promptly sent back running again.

Fans showing up to Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Center. The gates were closed, and the signs said no access, but CrossFit Games die-hards showed up anyway to cheer on their favorite athletes. CrossFit Games staff even passed out swag, and Chandler Smith and Marston Sawyers came over to the fence to talk to the fans, hangout and take some photos.

Kari Pearce beating the entire field in Atalanta to secure a podium spot. Pearce’s performance in Atalanta, by itself, is one of the most impressive single event executions in CrossFit Games history. For 48 straight minutes, 600 reps and 2 miles, Pearce fended off challenger after challenger to win the event, securing third place overall and becoming the first woman to end America’s drought on the podium

Mathew Fraser and Samuel Kwant sprinting to the finish. Kwant’s come-from-behind sprint to the finish line to nearly catch Fraser on the final lap of Sprint-Sled-Sprint was the closest call of the weekend. The pair finished just 37 hundredths of a second apart, with Fraser edging out Kwant. Even though Kwant got second, he was able to secure enough points to stay squarely in second overall, which is where he’d finish up at the end of the weekend.

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