How the 2022 Last Chance Qualifiers Did in the 2023 Season
Two athletes who snuck into the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games after winning the Last Chance Qualifier that year–Arielle Loewen and Tim Paulson–ended up on the podium in 2023.
From narrowly earning the right to compete in 2022, to proving their domination in 2023, these two athletes showed that they are some of the fittest men and women competing in the sport today.
But how did the other athletes who competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier shake out in the 2023 season?
Let’s get into it.
Remind me: In 2021 and 2022, CrossFit Games gave athletes who did not qualify for the CrossFit Games out of their respective Semifinals–but were very close–the opportunity to try again in something called the Last Chance Qualifier.
A total of 30 individual men and 30 individual women earned the right to compete in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifiers. Though, just 27 men and 22 women submitted scores in the 48-hour virtual event during which athletes completed in four separate workouts.
At the end of the event, the two women and two men with the top two scores were given the opportunity to move on to Madison.
After coming in first or second in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier, the four athletes who went onto compete at The 2022 CrossFit Games include the following. (The place they finished in the 2022 CrossFit Games is listed after their name).
- Arielle Loewen, 11th
- Elena Carratala Sanahuja, 38th
- Timothy Paulson, 23rd
- Jonne Koski, 15th
The only athlete of these four who did not go on to qualify for the 2023 CrossFit Games out of their respective Semifinal was Elena Carratala Sanahuja (who took 27th at the Europe Semifinal this year).
Where The 2022 LCQ Men Are Today
Nine men who competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier also competed at the Games this year.
Two of these men–Tim Paulson and Royce Dunn–competed in the Team Division.
Paulson’s CrossFit East Nashville PRVN team was a podium favorite throughout the season and came in second place overall. Dunn’s team, CrossFit Torian Mayhem came in 30th after being forced to withdraw after one of the members was injured.
Meanwhile, eight of the 39 individual men who competed in the 2023 CrossFit Games, had also competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier.
They were:
- Joanne Koski, 6th
- Bayley Martin, 12th
- Nick Matthews, 19th
- Fabian Beneito, 23rd
- James Sprague, 25th
- Ant Haynes, 30th
- Jake Douglas, 38th
- Artur Semenov, 39th
Of course, not all of the men who competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier qualified in a high enough position during their respective 2023 Semifinal event to compete in The 2023 CrossFit Games.
Notably, there were a few athletes who very narrowly missed the mark once more.
- Mitchel Stevenson: Finishing 10th in the North America West Semifinal, he was 1 spot. out.
- Ruan Potgieter: Finishing 3rd in the African Semifinal, he was 2 spots out.
How The 2022 LCQ Women Faired in 2023
Four of the women who competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier competed as individuals in Madison this year.
They were:
- Arielle Loewen, 3rd
- Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir, 7th
- Jamie Simmonds, 17th
- Feeroozeh Saghafi, 32nd
None of the women who competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier competed at the Games on a team in 2023.
- Kristine Best is the only athlete who competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifier as an individual, but competed on a team this season. Her team CrossFit Move Fast Lift Heavy finished 15th at the North America East Semifinal
Sadly, some of the women who were on the cusp of competing at the CrossFit Games in 2022 but ultimately did not, faced the same narrow miss this season:
- Kloie Wilson: Finished 12th in the North America West Semifinal, missing qualification by two spots.
- Madeline Sturt: Took fifth in the Oceania Semifinal, she also missed by two spots.
- Dawon Jung: Missed qualifying by one position, taking third in the Asia Semifinal.
- Christina Livadtakis: Finishing 4th in the Africa Semifinal, she was just two spots out.
In summary: The 2023 CrossFit Games featured 11 individual athletes and 2 team athletes who competed in the 2022 Last Chance Qualifiers as individuals. Not only that, but one of the women (Arielle Loewen) went on to earn bronze as an individual, while one of the men (Tim Paulson) earned silver with his team.
While CrossFit disbanded the Last Chance Qualifier for the 2023 season, and likely will for coming seasons, this movement from underdog to top-dog illustrates how many shifts can take place in and on the competitive field year over year and how the qualification process can sometimes place an athlete who might have impacted the Games leaderboard, on the outside looking in..
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