Here we go guys: another edition of the 2023 Nobull CrossFit® Games has concluded. Actually, this was an edition like we haven't seen in a long time, perhaps even one of the most fought in recent years.
Especially in the women's field, without the presence of Tia Clair Toomey e Mallory O'Brien. For the men's category, however, it was absent Ricky Garard, who had been among the top finishers last year and appeared to be this season's favorite.
In return, there was an apathetic presence of Justin Medeiros, two-time champion of the competition [who knows what happened to him?!].
In the team category, we witnessed a race without Rich Froning and his Mayhem team, so there was also a big question mark here as to who would take home the title.
It was, therefore, a great one opportunity to see new names at the top, but with a more interesting competitiveness and score difference.
After all, when Tia, Mat Fraser and the Froning team were fighting for the title, the top finishers always had a big gap in scores, which it often made it mathematically impossible for the runner-up to finish first.
This year we saw a head-to-head race, where the difference was at most 100 points or less. Furthermore, without the presence of these big names, we could see athletes turn the tables and become leaders in a matter of hours.
What about Roman Khrennikov's performance and Jeff Addler's comeback? But that's not all: even in the women's elite category, there was a change at the top of the competition on the last day.
“We have created an extraordinary event that celebrates the essence of CrossFit®. But we made sure that our athletes had to perform perfectly to get to the top,” said Dave Castro, GM of CrossFit®. “Their performances were courageous and created a great show for CrossFit® fans around the world.”
Index
The Women's Elite has a new champion
With the road paved in the category, everyone was eager to know who would be the athlete to take the place that Tia has occupied for six consecutive years.
It must be said that for many the podium would have already been guaranteed to Mallory, but his departure from the scene has raised a real question mark for the category.
However, the answer seemed to come already in the first wod, when Emma Lawson started to climb to the top of the leader board and finished both the second and third day in first place.
In a truly captivating performance, all eyes were on the 18-year-old. However, Laura Horvath, who finished the first day away from the top 5, i.e. in 7th place, gradually climbed back. On the second day of competition she was already in 3rd place in the overall standings and on the third day she was already in 2nd overall.
But that's not all: the Hungarian managed to finish four tests in 1st place, edging out Emma by just 47 points, who concluded these Games with silver.
This difference was even smaller between Emma and Arielle Loewen, who took 3rd place in the competition. With only 36 points difference, Loewen was on the podium for the first time!
Our Fulix did not disappoint! She managed to win a second place in test 2 (inverted medley) and maintained a consistent and determined performance in all other tests, closing most of the wods in the top 20. She comes home like the 20th strongest woman on the plant, improving by 16 positions compared to last year!
Chapeau Eli!
The real men's champion of the Games 2023
In the men's field, we definitely received the most important lesson of the competition: a true champion never gives up!
In fact, Roman Khrennikov made his way without Garard this year and had an outstanding performance on the floor. From day one he conquered the top of the standings and hasn't moved from there.
La victory seemed deserved and certain for him, had it not been for an injury in Test 10, which led to a fracture in his left foot.
He he could have abandoned the race due to this serious injury, but he decided to continue, signing a special disclaimer within the competition to stay in the competition.
And here comes the kicker: Roman has brought applause and tears to those present after performing the Double Under with only one foot on the ground. At the end of the event, he told the reporter:
“I want to be a hero to my son and I want him to see me fight to the end.”
Social media reacted immediately to Roman's speeches and video who, even if he went badly in the other races after the injury, still managed to get on the podium in 3rd place.
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It was therefore easier for Adler to conquer the summit. Indeed, it was a 100% foreign podium, with no Americans, as second place went to Patrick Vellner, who climbed up the ranks during the race days.
Team category
The CrossFit® Invictus team has always been present at competitions, but always behind Froning/Mayhem. Without the greatest athlete on the team, the path seemed much easier for Invictus to get to the top.
This year the team showed up with the athletes Joshua Al-Chamaa, Jorge Fernandez, Devyn Kim and Brittany Weiss. Unlike the other categories, they managed to win every day of the competition and with an interesting advantage.
It must be said that the team showed great harmony throughout the race, as well as a unique good mood.
In fact, both Invictus and CrossFit® Oslo and CrossFit® Esat Nashville PRVN remained in the same positions throughout the Games, without a large number of differences in the score.
Thus, Invictus finished the 2023 Nobull CrossFit® Games in 1st place. The PRVN team, on the other hand, managed to overtake Oslo at the end of the competition and conquer the title of runner-up, while the Oslo team finished this edition of the Games in 3rd place.
