CrossFit Games

Bethany Shadburne Withdraws Amid Back Injury, Ends 2022 Games Season

March 28, 2022 by
Photo courtesy of CrossFit LLC.
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Five-time CrossFit Games athlete Bethany Shadburne announced that she’s withdrawing from quarterfinals after injuring her back warming-up for event 4 “The Other Total.” The withdrawal ends her bid to return to the 2022 CrossFit Games.

  • “I went to do ‘The Other Total’ and unfortunately during my warm up, my back went out on me, leaving me on the floor and knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to do the rest of the weekend.”
  • “This wasn’t a huge surprise to me with the variety of injuries that had come my way since covid.”
  • “As frustrating as it has been, my back has continued to be a bigger problem than I wanted to believe this year, going out on me multiple times since January.”

One big thing: After missing the 2021 Games due to a positive COVID test days before competition started, Shadburne’s return to the 2022 Games was much anticipated as she’s widely considered a potential podium finisher.

  • In January, she finished second at Wodapalooza in her first in-person competition back from COVID.
  • Shadburne has been plagued with nagging back issues over the years that have kept her from training or from training certain lifts during periods throughout the season.

The bottom line: Shadburne is the second 2021 Games female athlete to withdraw from quarterfinals due to injury. Emma Cary, who finished 16th at the Games, withdrew also from a back injury. Despite the obvious disappointment, withdrawing this early in the season gives both athletes ample time to heal and return stronger without the physical demands of competing through the heaviest and hardest parts of the season.

  • Shadburne: “Once healthy Bethany is on the competition floor, it’s going to be scary. But for now, I’m going to allow myself some time to feel these emotions and then get pain free/ continue to do what I know to do. Because like I said, I know I’m on the right path, it’s just a ‘not right now.'”
  • Carry: “Now I have 500 days to pour my everything into training for the 2023 CrossFit Games and a lot of opportunities to get even more resilient, tough, and smart.”

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