Roman Khrennikov and Patrick Vellner to Duke it Out in New Jersey for 23.2
The second week of the NOBULL CrossFit Open is upon us, and two of the top athletes in the men’s division are heading to the stomping grounds of Skid Row and The Bouncing Souls so that they can put on a show of their own.
The details: The 23.2 announcement – now presented by Chipotle – will feature CrossFit veterans Roman Khrennikov and Patrick Vellner. They will face off at CrossFit Bison in Midland Park, NJ, the affiliate that had more than 240 members sign up for the annual test of fitness.
- The announcement will take place on February 23 at 3 p.m. ET. The CrossFit Games YouTube channel will stream the announcement and the head-to-head battle between Khrennikov and Vellner.
- As in past years, there will not be any information available about the workout or the movement standards prior to the announcement. The two athletes will hear the workout for the first time and then they will immediately begin warming up.
A fast start: Both Khrennikov and Vellner entered the 2023 season as names to watch, and for good reason considering their previous strong performances in CrossFit competitions. Khrennikov, in particular, finished second behind Justin Medeiros in the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games. Vellner finished second behind Medeiros in the 2021 CrossFit Games.
- Both athletes turned in some strong performances to begin the Open. Vellner completed 304 reps during 23.1, which put him in a tie with Cole Greashaber. Khrennikov completed 306 reps during the opening event.
The expectation is that these strong performances should continue throughout the Open. Vellner has traditionally performed well during the first part of the CrossFit season. He won the worldwide Open in 2020, and he has finished in the top three in Canada four total times.
- Khrennikov’s best ranking in the Open took place during the COVID-altered 2020 season. He finished 10th worldwide after posting a fourth-place finish in 20.5, the workout featuring 40 muscle-ups, an 80-cal. Row, and 120 wall-ball shots.
Khrennikov’s Open history does not include the top overall ranking. However, he has finished top five in Asia twice in the past two seasons. He then went on to win the Last Chance Qualifier in 2021 and the Far East Throwdown in 2022.
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