‘The Professor’ Brent Fikowski Makes Late Push to Granite Games Glory
The Granite Games have come to a close, and a familiar face has punched his ticket to the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games. Brent Fikowski, nicknamed “The Professor” for his methodical planning and approach to the sport, made a major push in Minnesota and catapulted himself from third to first.
The details: Fikowski, who has captured numerous event wins throughout his CrossFit Games career, did exactly what he needed to do to take home the oversized check. He kicked off the final day of competition by steamrolling the Endure the Sled event with a time of 20:11.18. This added 100 points to his total and put him in contention for the Semifinals win.
- Fikowski backed up his event win with a strong performance in 2014 Regional Event 5. He completed the 10 rounds of legless rope climbs and runs with the fifth-fastest time at 3:09.02.
- Colten Mertens, who held the points lead after the second day of competition, finished 27th overall in the final event. He still ended the day above the cutline to secure his second trip to the CrossFit Games as an individual athlete.
The picture of consistency: Fikowski only had one event win, but he was never truly out of contention throughout the weekend. Every event finish was inside the top 10, and he contended for the win in Minnesota Mash-Up before settling for second overall.
The final three: Fikowski won the Granite Games and secured another trip to the CrossFit Games while Mertens finished fifth. They bookended an intriguing group of athletes that will now head to the CrossFit Games.
- Phil Toon capped off a strong weekend in which he won one event by posting the second-most points. He secured his first trip to the CrossFit Games after narrowly missing out in 2021.
- Travis Mayer (third) and Samuel Kwant (fourth) rounded out the list of athletes heading to the CrossFit Games. They will both return to Madison after previous appearances.
The 2022 Granite Games marked a significant comeback for Kwant. The second-fittest Man on Earth in the 2020 CrossFit Games missed making the cut in 2021 after a stunning showing at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge. He later revealed that he had dealt with a chronic illness that included breathing problems, coughing fits, and other issues.
- Kwant was back to form in Minnesota. He started quietly in the first three events with eighth, 15th, and seventh-place finishes. However, he turned a corner for the final three.
- Kwant finished the Speed Chipper fourth before posting back-to-back third-place finishes on the final day. He finished the weekend fourth overall and in a much better place than the year prior.
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