Jeffrey Adler Takes First in a Stacked Field at the North America East Semifinal
The final day at the men’s North America East Semifinal featured two tests and eight movements that would determine the final 12 qualifiers for the 2023 CrossFit Games. The competition field included several Games veterans, along with up-and-coming talent that made every point matter on the final day of competition.
Event 6: Sunday started with a pyramid chipper that involved moderately heavy overhead squats, rowing and a medley of new gymnastics variations. While the barbell and rowing balanced the event from being a specialist’s workout, the true test was the athletes ability to get through the gymnastics movements unscathed.
- Noah Ohlsen won the first Semifinal event of his decorated career, finishing event 6 in a blistering 9:32. It was evident that Ohlsen was enjoying the experience, as he was seen interacting and engaging the crowd as he worked his way through the chipper. Ohlen qualified for his 10th career CrossFit Games and it looks like 2023 will be the last time we ever see Ohlsen compete on the individual floor.
- Will Moorad had his best finish of the weekend on Sunday morning, taking second with a 9:45 finish in event 6. Moorad qualified for the fifth CrossFit Games in his career, having qualified for his first Games nearly a decade ago in 2014.
- Spencer Panchik may have started the day outside the qualifying line, but took care of business in event 6 finishing in third place. His 10:17 finish gave him the points needed to bump him into 12th place overall heading into the final event, which he would later hold on to in Event 7 to earn his ticket to the 2023 CrossFit Games. One of the Panchik brothers has been at the CrossFit Games every year since 2012.
- Jeffrey Adler gained an additional 24 points on Jayson Hopper after his fourth place finish in event 6. Adler started the day just 15 points ahead of Jayson Hopper for the overall lead, but his consistency gave him a 39 point lead heading into the final event. This would prove to be useful after the final event, as Hopper earned back 24 points in event 7, giving Adler a 15-point victory and earning a Semifinal win for the second year in a row.
- Jack Farlow was just one second behind Jeffrey Adler in event 6, making his 10:31 finish good enough for fifth place. This was Farlow’s second top five placement of the weekend, which moved him from 11th into ninth place approaching the final event of the weekend. Farlow would later solidify the qualification for his first individual CrossFit Games.
Event 7: The final event was a devastating sprint triplet of bike, toes-to-bar and sandbag carries. The temptation to go all-out from the start baited several athletes, but it was clear which competitors were in-tune with their body and knew how to pace the three rounds correctly. Four athletes finished this grueling test in under four minutes (Dallin Pepper, Jayson Hopper, Roman Khrennikov and Alex Vigneault).
- Dallin Pepper celebrated his first ever Semifinals win in event 7, finishing in 3:46 and keeping his third place overall podium finish for the weekend. Pepper had no finishes outside the top 10 all weekend, quietly
- Jayson Hopper finished event 7 in 3:50 which was good enough for second place. Hopper had an impressive weekend, taking two event wins and two second place finishes over three days and seven tests.
- Roman Khrennikov finished his first 15 calories in 17 seconds during event 7 and held on for a time 3:54, earning him third place in the final test of the weekend. Khrennikov has never finished outside the top 10 in Semifinal events with machines.
- Alex Vigneault started and ended the weekend with a fourth place finish, completing event 7 in 3:57. Vigneault will be returning to the CrossFit Games for the third year in a row and the sixth time in his career.
- Luke Parker had three top five finishes over the weekend, with his 4:07 finish being good enough for fifth place in Test 7. Parker will be competing in his first individual CrossFit Games this summer.
- James Sprague’s seventh place finish in event 7 brings redemption to a close miss in 2022. Sprague was inside the qualification line last year heading into the last event, but missed the CrossFit Games by one point after Will Moorad made a major comeback in the final event. Sprague sealed the deal this year and will be heading to his first CrossFit Games in 2023.
Qualifiers:
- 1st place: Jeffrey Adler (613 points)
- 2nd place: Jayson Hopper (598 points)
- 3rd place: Dallin Pepper (586 points)
- 4th place: Roman Khrennikov (575 points)
- 5th place: Samuel Cournoyer (538 points)
- 6th place: Will Moorad (535 points)
- 7th place: Noah Ohlsen (521 points)
- 8th place: Luke Parker (513 points)*
- 9th place: Alex Vigneault (507 points)
- 10th place: Jack Farlow (477 points)*
- 11th place: James Sprague (460 points)*
- 12th place: Spencer Panchik (439 points)
The bottom line: Five of the seven regions watched this weekend in anticipation for their turn to compete in the seven Semifinals tests. Africa and North America East have qualified 13 of the 40 available spots for the CrossFit Games. Next weekend will be stacked full of action, with North America West, Oceania and South America all competing in the second week of the 2023 Semifinals.
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