5 Takeaways We Can’t Ignore from the 20th CrossFit Games
From historic lifts to never-before-seen movements, the 20th CrossFit Games delivered a wealth of memorable moments. The competition also revealed several trends that could shape the sport for years to come.
Here are five things you might have missed in San Jose.
Experience Reigned Supreme
This year, for the first time in history, no rookies cracked the top 10.
Dylan Hamming, 12th, was the highest rookie and earned the Rookie of the Year accolade, while Holly Tynan was the top female rookie in 17th.
New Movements Took Center Stage
In the spirit of CrossFit’s “unknown and unknowable” slogan, at least one never-before-seen movement is always unveiled at the CrossFit Games.
Sometimes the movement stops athletes in their tracks, like legless rope climbs in 2013, the pegboard in 2015, or double-under crossovers in 2022. Other times, they’re meant to provide a new but doable challenge, like the obstacle course in 2012 or the Pig flip in 2013.
This year, however, featured an uncharacteristically high number of new movements, some simple and others requiring a high level of skill.
3D Throw
Event 9, a 50-point event, featured a heavy sandbag that athletes threw for maximum distance, one laterally from the left, one from the right, and one backward, up and over their heads.
As a spectator, I found the event the most mundane, arguably boring, of the entire weekend. That said, it was a good test of explosive athleticism, and it was no surprise that Gui Malheiros and Abbie Domit, known for their power and athleticism, were the event winners.
Triple-Unders
We knew they were coming at some point, and they finally arrived during Event 14, where athletes had to complete three sets of the movement at 20, 25, and 30.
Triple-under prowess was a mixed bag, with some athletes, like women’s champion Aimee Cringle, making them look as easy as double-enders, and others, like Alex Gazan, Alexis Raptis and Maddie Sturt, who were unable to get through a set.
GHD Wall Balls
Event 14 also featured a variation of the GHD sit-up we had never seen before: a wall ball shot at the end of the sit-up. While they might not be particularly high-skill movements, judging by how much they slowed athletes down, it’s safe to assume they tax your core more than you might expect.
Shuttle Box Jumps
Event 17 introduced us to a new variation of box jumps: shuttle box jumps, in which athletes had to touch the ground with both hands between reps. Like the GHD wall balls, they weren’t technical, but they made the box jumps look even more taxing and slower.
Ring Rolls to Support
The forward and backward ring rolls to support were among the most anticipated movements of the competition, as Dave Castro gave athletes a heads-up that they were coming, giving them the chance to practice leading up to the CrossFit Games.
Some athletes had already mastered the technique; others had multiple failed reps; and others were left standing, staring at the rings.
It’s hard to imagine these won’t be like legless rope climbs and the pegboard: They will be back, and the next time we see them, every athlete on the floor will be proficient at them.
One more thing: Event 11 featured a paralette press-to-handstand and traverse. The movement was programmed in 2022 during the Skill Speed Medley, but that event also featured double-under crossovers, and since most athletes didn’t make it through those, they never had the chance to attempt the press-to-handstand.
This year, the parallette press-to-handstand proved to be the most challenging gymnastics move of the weekend.
- Former elite gymnast Victor Hoffer made it look easy, finishing the entire handstand-walking course in 1:05.62. However, most athletes needed multiple attempts, and the SAP Center became a sea of failed reps, especially on the women’s side, where 13 of the 30 women were unable to complete the workout before the time cap.
The Numbers Got Even Bigger
Max-lift events like the CrossFit Total are always a great opportunity to see how much stronger Games athletes are today than they were three, five, or even 10 years ago.
This year, each lift was scored individually as a 50-point event, but it’s worth noting that Alex Gazan and Colten Mertens broke the CrossFit Total records from previous years.
- Gazan posted a total of 920 pounds — 330-pound back squat, 170-pound shoulder press, 420-pound deadlift — beating Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr’s score of 890 pounds by 30 pounds. Additionally, Gazan’s 170-pound press beat Kari Pearce’s press record by 13 pounds.
- On the men’s side, Colten Mertens bested Royce Dunne’s 1,255-pound CrossFit Total record by 125 pounds, posting a 555-pound back squat, 260-pound shoulder press and 565-pound deadlift.
As impressive as Gazan and Mertens were, equally notable is how much stronger the field as a whole has become.
Case in point: Nine men back squatted at least 500 pounds this year, while two others hit 495 pounds. Eight years ago, in 2018, only one man hit 500 pounds (Scott Panchik).
On the women’s side, it wasn’t just Gazan who broke Toomey-Orr’s Total record. Kyra Millian also did so with a 900-pound total (370-pound back squat, 145-pound press, 385-pound deadlift).
Further, 18 of the 30 women — 60 percent of the field — hit at least 300 pounds on their back squat last Wednesday (and two more hit 295 pounds). In comparison, in 2018, 53 percent of the field hit the 300-pound mark.
International Field More Than Holds Their Own
Out of the 60 individual athletes who competed in San Jose, 26, or 43 percent, were from the USA. Of those 26, only two – James Sprague and Dallin Pepper — made the podium, while the other four came from Canada, Australia, and the UK.
The international field also fared well in the top 10: six of the top 10 men and five of the top 10 women were from countries other than the US.
Fun fact: Since 2015, American women have been entirely absent from the women’s podium at seven CrossFit Games (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024, and 2026).
Brute’s Dynasty Rolls On
For the third straight year, two Brute Strength men stood on the podium, with a third close behind.
- This year, Sprague was first and Pepper second, while Jayson Hopper was sixth. Last year, Hopper took the top spot, Sprague was third, and Pepper finished fourth. In 2014, Sprague won, Pepper was second, and Hopper was fourth.
The only thing these three men haven’t done yet is sweep the podium. Maybe 2027 will hold that.
Oh yeah, one more thing: The top two podium spots on the women’s side went to Brute Strength athletes as well – Aimee Cringle and Emma Lawson.
The Big Picture
The 20th CrossFit Games reinforced that the sport hasn’t hit a plateau yet. Athletes are still getting stronger and more skilled, the competitive field is increasingly global, and the programming continues to evolve, raising the bar for what it takes to contend on the sport’s biggest stage.
