The World Fitness Project’s (WFP) Tour Event II takes place in Mesa, AZ, from Aug. 29-31, and features a star-studded lineup of athletes competing to earn a spot at the WFP Finals in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Remind Me

The showdown in Mesa marks the second and final Tour Event of the WFP’s inaugural season. 

• Athletes earn points at both tour events. The 20 pro card holders, both men and women, along with the top 10 point earners from the Challenger Division on each side, will advance to compete at the WFP Finals after this weekend. Point values are doubled at the WFP Finals.
• The top 20 point-earning men and women after the Finals in December will then receive pro card contracts for the 2026 season.

Current Standings After Tour Event I
Men	Women
1. Austin Hatfield – 500	1. Alex Gazan – 500
2. James Sprague – 485	2. Danielle Brandon – 485
3. Jayson Hopper – 470	3. Aimee Cringle – 470
4. Jeffrey Adler – 460	4. Lucy Campbell – 460
5. Dallin Pepper – 450	5. Arielle Loewen – 450
6. Justin Medeiros – 440	6. Emma Lawson – 440
7. Jay Crouch – 430	7. Alexis Raptis – 430
8. Roman Khrennikov – 420	8. Olivia Kerstetter – 420
9. Colten Mertens – 410	9. Laura Horvath – 410
10. Noah Ohlsen – 400	10. Madeline Sturt – 400

Worth noting: Tour Event I winner, Alex Gazan, will not compete in Mesa due to a foot injury she sustained in a car accident after winning the Northern California Classic In-Person Qualifying Event earlier in June. 

• Gazan also withdrew from the CrossFit Games earlier this month, but her coach, Justin Cotler, is hopeful she will be able to return for both the Rogue Invitational and the WFP Finals.

Furthermore, Jeff Adler, the men’s fourth-place finisher at Tour Event I, has also withdrawn from Tour Event II due to an undisclosed injury.

Our Podium Picks for World Fitness Project Tour Event II

Women

Lucy Campbell

Fresh off a second-place finish at the 2025 CrossFit Games, Lucy Campbell is one of the top contenders for the overall win in Mesa.

• After sitting out the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to a serious wrist injury, Campbell has been on fire all year, starting in January when she won TYR Wodapalooza in Miami, FL, defeating 2023 CrossFit Games champion Laura Horvath in the process. 

It’s starting to feel like Campbell just doesn’t have a weakness. Add in the fact that she competes with the perfect balance of poise and tenacity, and it’s hard to imagine she won’t be in the top three. 

Laura Horvath

Although Horvath finished ninth at Tour Event I, we still include her in our podium picks because she has repeatedly proven she is one of the best in the world. 

• Additionally, the 2023 Fittest Woman on Earth skipped the 2025 CrossFit Games season, so she will be rested and ready when she enters Tour Event II. This might give her an edge over those who competed at the Games less than a month ago.

We fully expect Horvath to show up in Mesa with redemption on her mind, as we can’t imagine she was happy with her placing at Tour Event I.

Arielle Loewen

Over the past four years, Arielle Loewen has cemented herself as one of the most consistent performers in the sport.

• Loewen, who finished third at the 2023 CrossFit Games, hovered in podium position throughout the entire weekend at this summer’s Games and ultimately finished fifth overall.

Like Campbell, Loewen just doesn’t appear to have a weakness and is always a reliable choice for a podium spot.

Who else to watch: Danielle Brandon and Aimee Cringle took second and third place, respectively, at Tour Event I, and both impressed at the CrossFit Games in Albany.

• Brandon battled for a podium spot all weekend, and barring low finishes in the “1RM Back Squat” and “Climbing Couplet,” would undoubtedly have found herself there. Cringle came on strong early with second- and third-place event finishes on the first day in Albany, but faded as the weekend wore on. 

Men

Dallin Pepper

Dallin Pepper came in second place at the 2024 CrossFit Games, but missed the podium by just one spot and 15 points this year. 

He finished in fifth place at the first WFP Tour Stop, and like Horvath, we think he’s going to arrive in Arizona with the fire to make sure he finishes in the top three.

Jayson Hopper

Considering he just became the Fittest Man on Earth, it’s hard to ignore Jayson Hopper as he heads into Tour Event II.

• Third at Tour Event I, we can only imagine Hopper is riding high from his CrossFit Games win and will carry that momentum into this weekend. 

Pat Vellner

Pat Vellner might have finished 23rd at the WFP’s Tour Event I, but we know better than to count out the nine-time Games veteran. 

• So we’re calling Tour Event I just an anomaly for Vellner, and we expect a different version of the wily veteran to show up this weekend.

Like Horvath, Vellner also sat out the CrossFit Games season, so he just might be a little fresher than some of his competitors. 

Who else to watch: It would be a mistake to overlook Austin Hatfield and James Sprague, who both performed well at the CrossFit Games in Albany, battling it out for the final podium spot.

• Hatfield came on strong on Sunday, almost pulling off a Froning-like “Sunday sweep,” but it was Sprague’s dramatic, second-place finish in the final event that earned him the third-place medal.

The CrossFit Games’ silver medalist, Ricky Garard, will also look to build on his momentum in Mesa. 

The Big Picture

With so many proven veterans in Mesa, this weekend promises an exciting show. And if the incredibly close races we recently saw at the CrossFit Games earlier this month (women’s winner Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr notwithstanding) are any indication, we expect nothing less at Tour Event II. 

Credit: World Fitness Project