Jonne Koski’s Final-Day Push at Strength in Depth Keeps CrossFit Games Hopes Alive
Strength in Depth has come to a close, and five athletes have punched their tickets to the NOBULL CrossFit Games. Perennial Games competitor Jonne Koski was not among this group, but he kept his hopes alive with a late push to secure a spot in the Last Chance Qualifier.
The details: Koski had a quiet weekend overall with only one top-five finish in the first five events. He entered the last workout 18 points below the LCQ cutline, and it appeared that he would have a disappointing end to the weekend.
- The situation changed during the second round of the final workout. Koski used his consistent pace to track down Giorgos Karavis, Andre Houdet, and Alex Kotoulas. He overtook both Karavis and Kotoulas on the final set of thrusters, and he finished third overall in the event.
- The 92 points Koski accrued with this finish were enough to bump him well above the LCQ cutline and into sixth place overall. However, he fell two points shy of securing a spot in the CrossFit Games.
The top-five men: The final day of Strength in Depth featured some shake ups on the leaderboard. Willy Georges won the Semifinals event with a very consistent performance while Henrik Happalainen did just enough by winning two events, which gave him enough points to survive an 18th-place finish in the final event.
- Andre Houdet followed up his Moving Day performance by winning his heat in the final event. He posted the second-fastest time overall at 7:27.43 and moved his way to third overall.
- The final two men above the cutline ended the weekend in a tie with 430 points. Karavis finished seventh in the final event and moved up another spot to fourth overall. Guillaume Briant, however, finished 19th and nearly fell below the cutline. He avoided a letdown by virtue of two points and secured his spot in Madison, WI.
A standout career: Koski has never won the CrossFit Games nor has he finished on the podium, but he has proven to be one of the sport’s most consistent athletes. He has competed every year dating back to 2014, and he has posted four top-10 finishes while excelling at water-based workouts.
- Koski is fresh off his career-best CrossFit Games performance. He returned to Madison in 2021 after missing out on the final five in 2020, and he kicked off the week with an event win. Koski then posted five top-10 finishes throughout the competition to end the weekend sixth overall.
- 2016 was Koski’s worst year. He won one event, but he ultimately had to withdraw early in the competition. He finished last in the 40-man field.
What’s next: The top five athletes from Strength in Depth can now relax for a few days after their strong performances. They have a secure spot in the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games, so they can focus on preparation. Koski, on the other hand, will join Kotoulas and Dumain Antoine in the LCQ on June 29-July 1, where they will have one more opportunity to reach the big show.
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