Inside Gabi Migała’s Decision to Step Back from the 2026 CrossFit Games
This time last year, Gabi Migała never would have imagined she’d be where she is today: a Games qualifier, the 2026 MAD Fitness Festival champion, celebrating small wins in her fitness journey every day, fully recovered from both Achilles tendon ruptures, and withdrawing from the CrossFit Games.
Earlier this month, Migała shared on Instagram that she wouldn’t be traveling to San Jose, California, to compete, but would instead focus her entire attention on the Rogue Invitational in October.
- “I was very nervous about writing this post because I just don’t want to come across like I’m stepping away because I’m afraid. Or I feel like I’m going to underperform,” Migała told Morning Chalk Up.
She had reached a point that’s relatable only for some. She no longer felt joy in what she was doing, but instead she found herself deeply unhappy, unsettled, and constantly comparing herself to the person she was before her injury.
- “It was the most challenging time I had since I started my career. Because I feel it’s so hard not to compare yourself to the version of you before the injury. And I’m not going to lie – I think I was quite fit when this happened,” Migała said.
“So all I do is constantly compare myself to myself,” she continued. And instead of just focusing on small wins, which I had every day, I would just think, ‘I’m not even close to cleaning this or snatching this or running this time. I’m so far behind.”
Remind me: After competing as an Individual for five consecutive years at the CrossFit Games, she reached the podium in 2024, finishing second. Her career had been on an upward trajectory, with fourth place in 2023 and 8th in 2022.
At the 2024 Rogue Invitational, during a burpee-box-jump-over workout, she ruptured her Achilles tendon. She underwent surgery immediately and began rehabbing at the end of that year. In February 2025, just months later, she ruptured her Achilles again, restarting her rebuild from ground zero.
While she admits this was shattering, she remained focused on her training and stepped onto the competition floor again at 2026 Gymreapers Wodapalooza in March. Ever a fan favorite, she thrilled the broader community by returning to competition, seemingly stronger than ever, on the road to the top once again.
She finished 35th overall in the CrossFit Open and 27th in the Quarterfinals. That’s when she says the stress really kicked in.
Semifinals
Shortly after the Quarterfinals, she received an invitation to the season’s first Semifinal, the Mayhem Classic.
- “I said yes just to have an option, but deep down I knew, ‘Oh, April, that’s not going to be enough time to get ready and punch my ticket.’ But I was already in Atlanta. Everything was coming together nicely throughout my sessions. I didn’t feel any discomfort or pain, only improvements. So I said, yes,” Migała said
It was at that point that she began to put pressure on herself.
- “I didn’t feel pressure from anyone else. Everyone was like, ‘oh, we are so glad you’re going to be competing, it’s great to have you back.’ But coming into Mayhem, I knew I was only at 70%. So that was already a very weird mindset for me that I had never experienced in my life,” Migała said.
By the final day, Migała knew she wouldn’t overtake winner Lucy Campbell, and she likely wouldn’t be able to grab second or third place either. Instead of celebrating small victories throughout the weekend and being grateful to even be in the mix, she was devastated.
- “And then I remember, I think it was the second or third day, and my mom called me, and obviously she knew how I was feeling, and she said, ‘Gabi, just remind yourself what you said when you ruptured your Achilles for the second time. You came back home, you sat down, and you said, Mom, I don’t even care about competing anymore. All I want to do is to be able to move again, and train,” Migała said.
Because of this conversation, Migała was able to push through, finishing out the weekend and beyond. She continued to go through the motions. After Mayhem, she returned home, regrouped, trained, attended the MAD Fitness Festival, and won, though this victory did nothing to assuage her discouragement or her constant self-comparison.
A Turning Point
Just weeks before the Games, Migała had settled into preparation with her Training Think Tank team and coach Adam Rogers. Once again, it was Migała’s mother who served as the voice of reason and clarity.
- “I was having a difficult day, and I called her, and she just asked me another simple question: ‘Are you happy?’ she asked. And to be honest, this simple question made me realize that I’m not. Games training used to be my favorite time of the year, and all of a sudden, I was crying, but not in tears of happiness, but from being miserable and from constantly telling myself I wasn’t enough,” Migała said.
Physically, she was more than ready. She knew her team would tell her if she wasn’t. She recognized she’d been proving herself capable with every test thrown her way. Running had returned, and so had her lifting and gymnastics.
Everything was going great physically, but mentally and emotionally, it just wasn’t. And she knew she needed to step away before full burnout.
- “I’m just afraid, not that I’m going to underperform, but that I’ll be so unhappy in this process, all the way through the end, and that I’ll hate it so much that I’m not going to be able to enjoy it ever again,” Migała said.
Gabi 2.0
Migała realizes that, as important as her physical health is to her recovery, her mental and emotional health is equally important, if not more so. Having publicly shared her decision, she said that upon returning home to Poland, she feels lighter. But it’s all very bittersweet.
She acknowledges that these Games, marking the 20th anniversary, will likely be memorable for those competing, but that just wasn’t worth it to her in the end.
As she moves through the next few months, with her sights set on Rogue, Migała shared that she plans to maintain her training and rebuild herself to where she was, or even better.
Migała continued, admitting that she knows she needs to say goodbye to an older version of herself, and that recognizing that is step one.
- “I’m creating a new Gabi, a different Gabi, maybe, or hopefully an even better one. And not only a better athlete, but a better person. In the past, for the previous Gabi, everything was just so easy and straightforward. I’ve now had so many lessons and setbacks that I will definitely grow from all of it.”
