Leading From the Front: Chandler Smith’s (Partial) Year in Review
In late December 2025, Chandler Smith shared an in-depth reflection on his past year on Instagram. He delved into the details of his competitions, mindset, goals, competitors, and limitations. It offered a glimpse into a brilliant and thoughtful mind, a perspective rarely shared, or at least rarely articulated so well.
In the final slide of the carousel, Smith shared his goals for the 2026 season – a range of aspirations that would take him from ATHX to HYROX, to Wodapalooza and World Fitness Project, with some lifts and benchmarks along the way. Smith’s ideal 2026 was that of a true hybrid athlete – building his own unique season, filled with personal challenges.
Here were a few of the items on his list:
- “Either defend the ATHX Individual title and finish top-15 in the WFP, or go top-10 for WFP and win ATHX Mixed with Same Sex Doubles. Qualify for Rogue Invitational. Qualify for HYROX Worlds with Jessi. Win Wodapalooza team of 3. Have a top-half finish in a swim workout,” Smith wrote.
As the year marched on, I made mental notes of each goal Smith achieved, celebrating each one. I also watched as Smith’s year, in the most relatable way, took some twists and turns. Some of his aspirations he altered, and new goals were set.
A (Partial) Year in Review
In January, he and his wife, Jessi, competed in a HYROX Pro Doubles in Amsterdam. On their first time as partners, the top snagged a coveted sub-60-minute finish, with a time of 57:13. The result didn’t qualify them for the World Championships this summer; however, the pair is making one final attempt this upcoming weekend.
The following month, the two traveled to the UAE, where Smith placed second among males at The Crucible competition, and Jessi placed fourth.
In March, the plan was to compete at Wodapalooza, on a team of three with Travis Mayer and Noah Ohlsen. He pulled out due to injury, however, and Roldan Goldbaum took his place. He had broken his wrist, the second time he had done so in his career.
- In an IG post, he shares that for eight weeks, all he could do was run, bike, and squat. And that he did. He spent roughly 50 hours running, 70 hours biking, and he PR’d his back squat for the first time in six years.
In April, Smith traveled to Paris, France, to compete with Laura Horvath. Currently, they’re at the top of the leaderboard in the ATHX Pro Division, Mixed Team, ahead of Ella Wilkinson and Jonne Koski.
- If Smith’s goal to defend the ATHX Individual title still remains, he still has plenty of time to challenge the current leader, Harry Lightfoot.
Just over a week ago, he was able to add overhead squats, just in time for the Tour Stop 1 of the WFP, which took place May 1-3.
- His wrist was tested right out of the gate, as Workout 1 had athletes repping out 4 rounds of overhead squats at 185 pounds. He came in 16th in the workout, which, from our perspective, seemed like a huge personal win given his recent limitations.
Another highlight for Smith over the weekend was his deadlift. He was our pick to win the event, having proven his skill and strength in the lift at the 2023 Rogue Invitational. On Saturday, he beat his Rogue numbers and PRed, pulling 630 pounds for a second-place finish and ending the weekend in sixth overall.
While in London, Smith “hard-launched” his new partnership with Adidas, yet another hard-earned and well-deserved win.
The Bottom Line
This marks the second year Smith has forgone the CrossFit season. But over the past two years, he’s continued to challenge himself in new ways, compete in different arenas, and lead from the front.
