“Believe you can and you're halfway there.”- Theodore Roosevelt
CROSSFIT GAMES
Rookie Record Setter Punches Ticket to Madison
Eight snatches at 185 pounds, and an 800m run on the Assault Runner with a six-minute time cap. Over the last month, individuals competing on multiple continents have completed Test 5 while battling for a coveted ticket to the Games. Spectators have seen markedly fast times at each Semifinal, but in Berlin, they witnessed a new world record.
Remind me: Jeffrey Adler first set the time to beat on Test 5 at the North America East Semifinal with a time of 3:00.79. But the record was short-lived, as both Patrick Vellner and Brent Fikowski edged him out at the North America West Semifinal, finishing with the only two times under three minutes up to that point, placing 1st and 2nd respectively in the test. Vellner held the new world record of 2:56.39.
As all Semifinals have concluded, the name Jelle Hoste, with a time of 2:56.25, will now sit atop Vellner’s on Test 5, as the Semifinal rookie holds the fastest time for the workout. But this was not the only victory for Hoste that weekend. He also fought for a 1st place finish on Tests 1 and 7.
On his Test 5 win and new world record, Hoste expressed his excitement and gratitude for the crowd.
“(This moment) is very special. Especially all the people that came all the way from Belgium, I heard them in the background. It’s crazy. I cannot put it into words,” said Hoste.
The Belgian athlete was unknown to many, upon setting foot on the Europe Semifinal stage in Berlin. While he has competed in Quarterfinals since 2021, this was the first year Hoste qualified for Semifinals.
Training with the No Shortcuts crew along with fellow 2023 Games rookie Rebecka Vitesson, and under the guidance of coach and Games veteran Andre Houdet, seems to have made all the difference.
“Champions aren’t made on game day, they’re made in the shadows,” mentioned Hoste on social media, leading up to the Europe Semifinal. “It’s the countless hours of hard work, dedication, and discipline that sets them apart. Embrace the grind and trust the process.”
With three wins over seven workouts, and a 4th place finish at the Europe Semifinals, the newcomer is now a force that fellow Games-bound competitors are likely to keep in mind as they train over the upcoming months.
“It all has to soak in. I’ve been dreaming of this for a long time. A lot of early mornings, late nights. Finally it comes together,” said Hoste.
The bottom line: Hoste’s debut at Semifinals was a dramatic one. While up against Games veterans and powerhouses like Djukic, Koski, and Gudmundsson, Hoste not only held his own, but racked up more test wins than any individual competing in Berlin. He has no doubt proven himself as a major contender, and fans are anxious to see what he can do in Madison this summer.
SPONSORED
Jason Khalipa: Built to Overcome
One of CrossFit’s first champions and now a YETI Ambassador, Jason Khalipa, has found success through effort. What seems like a simple word, it’s an understatement for a life of curiosity, eagerness to learn, and dedication. Here are his tips for every day success:
In overcoming obstacles, focus on what you can do, versus what you can’t.
Always put forth your best effort and back it up with Earned Confidence from consistent training.
Overcome daily microdoses of adversity in the gym. You’ll be prepared for real life adversity.
Put points on the scoreboard early each day by drinking a large amount of water with YETI bottles.
After a great start to the year, things in Berlin just didn’t click. During Event 6 on Sunday on the first rope climb I felt a tear in my right shoulder. After getting an MRI today and seeing a specialist, it’s the best news I could of received for the situation and is only muscular. Regardless of a grade 3 tear in my pec the tendons are still good to go.
Father’s Day Shopping Guide: And it’s not just white New Balance or Air Monarchs.
🏋️♀️ Spring Swag Sale: The Morning Chalk Up Spring Swag Sale is on now. Supplies are limited, so order now.
PROFILE
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
A Woman on a Mission: How Emily Rolfe Jumped from 13th to Sixth to Punch her Ticket to Madison
Emily Rolfe was not happy on Saturday night in Pasadena, CA.
“It was the worst feeling,” said the three-time Games competitor Rolfe who, after low finishes on Test 2 and 4 (30th and 41st) found herself in 13th overall, three spots and 12 points outside of CrossFit Games qualification at the North America West Semifinal.
Her husband Kyle Rolfe, too, was flustered.
“Kyle went for a walk and left the hotel for like two hours and did some serious thinking,” Rolfe laughed.
But instead of wallowing about the leaderboard, Rolfe did what Rolfe always does when her back is against the wall: “She doesn’t just push back, she breaks the [expletive deleted] wall down,” is how her mental coach Brett Piperni put it.
Comptrain athlete Emma Gardner Runs Marathon to Prove Her Fitness
Emma Gardner has done CrossFit for nearly a decade. Having grown up in the golden age of CrossFit New England surrounded by Katrin Davidsdottir and the other elite Comptrain athletes that frequented the gym at the time, it’s no surprise that competing is engrained in every bone of her body. Training, focusing on her performance over all else, and living for competition is second nature to the 20-year-old.
This season, she had her eyes set on a second individual Semifinals appearance. In 2022, she placed 22nd at the MACC and was nowhere near done. However, she also missed qualifying this year in Individual Quarterfinals, which left her in a funk she couldn’t quite shake.
“I wasn’t in a great place at the end of my season. I had that first week where I was not myself at all, just sad, overwhelmed, stressed, confused, and angry,” Gardner said. “I caught myself reanalyzing every aspect of my life.”
Once she eventually got herself out of bed, she sat down with her coaches to discuss what comes next. She knew she needed time away from the rigorous training she usually participates in and wanted to try something new. She was motivated to do something to challenge herself and finish her season out strong while still taking a step away from the box.
She landed on a marathon.
Mostly on a whim, Gardner signed up for a local marathon close to her with less than six weeks to prepare. She had run long distances before–up to ten miles–but each long run she did to prepare was the longest she had ever run. Her training was relatively laid back, with just one running day per week, but she says it was extremely eye-opening.
“Usually I’m set with my Thursday and Sunday rest days, but somehow this worked,” Gardner said. “It was a cool challenge, to every Thursday morning just be like, ‘alright, we’re gonna go run more than we’ve ever run before.”
While her training had its challenges (like blisters in new places and lugging pounds of Epsom salts to the bathtub) Gardner made a few big revelations.
First, she employed intra-workout carbs in the form of Gatorade powder and gels to keep herself energized throughout the run. She says that while she’s never doing three-hour workouts in her regular training regimen, she is doing three-hour sessions, and having those carb resources can be a lifesaver. Also, she realized how stressful everyday training can be and the importance of an offseason.
“It was cool for training to be less stressful this time of year. The tax and stress training takes on you, I’m realizing it’s a lot more stressful than I thought it was.”
It’s almost time to celebrate all the Dads out there (and their bad jokes). Whether you are shopping for a gift for your own Dad, or another Dad in your life, we’ve got all the gift ideas for you!
Have you ever hyped yourself up for a lift so much that you rip the bar off of the ground and basically use all arms? That’s a classic example of overpulling and that’s a no no.
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If you’re a competitive CrossFit athlete who is looking to excel in competition and in the gym, you need to dial in your nutrition. If you’re wondering if you’re on the right track, use these tips for reference!
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Pamela Gagnon, a gymnastics extraordinaire and 3x CrossFit Games athletes, is encouraging you to ditch the sketchy no thumb grip. Listen to why she isn’t about the “suicide” grip and her tips for bar muscle-up grip.
CrossFit Games rookie qualifier Caroline Stanley got some local news love back in Rockingham County, NC. Check out our Post-Orlando interview with Stanley here.
Deidre Franzen from Games qualifying team CrossFit Kilo II also got a shoutout from KCRG in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Congratulations Omari from Core City CrossFit Kids in Detroit, MI on getting up for the first time in a bar muscle-up.
🏋🏽♀️ 8-year-old Sam is putting in the work on her 52.9 pound/24kg hang snatch and overhead squat.
🦸🏼♂️ Scott Mathison, or CrossFit’s Captain America? #everydayhero
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