As the world gears up for another adrenaline-packed edition of the CrossFit Games, 2023 promises to be a year like no other. From the elite athletes vying for the coveted title of “Fittest on Earth” to the grueling workouts designed to test the limits of human endurance, this year’s games are set to be a spectacle of strength, agility, and sheer determination.
Whether you’re a seasoned CrossFit enthusiast or a newcomer eager to understand the hype, our comprehensive guide will delve deep into every facet of the 2023 CrossFit Games. From the athletes to watch, the event’s history, the newly introduced cut schedules, and the tantalizing clues about the workouts, we’ve got you covered. Strap in and get ready to immerse yourself in the world of CrossFit like never before!
Contents
Key Dates for the 2023 Crossfit Games
The Open (Feb. 16 – March 6): Athletes must complete workouts at an affiliate or submit a video. Adaptive athletes can scale workouts based on their ability.
Quarterfinals (March 16 – April 2): 10% of individuals and 25% of teams will advance from the Open. Team and Age-Group Quarterfinals will be held during the same week.
- Individual Quarterfinal: March 16 – 19 (ONLINE)
- Team Quarterfinal: March 29 – 31 (ONLINE)
- Age-Group Quarterfinal: March 31 – April 2 (ONLINE)
Semifinals (April 28 – June 4): Top 30 from each age group in Quarterfinals advance to online Semifinals. Top individual athletes and teams will advance to one of seven in-person Semifinals worldwide.
- Age-Group Semifinal: April 28 – 30 (ONLINE)
- Individual and Team Semifinals: May 18 – June 4 (IN PERSON)
The CrossFit Games (Aug. 1 – Aug. 6): The Games will follow a six-day format. The total number of Games spots remains unchanged (40 women and men).
All Athletes who will compete in this year’s Games
Women
| NAME | COUNTRY | REGION | AFFILIATE | AGE | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seher Kaya | Turkey | Asia | CrossFit Oslo | 25 | 161 cm | 64 kg |
| Annie Thorisdottir | Iceland | Europe | CrossFit Reykjavík | 33 | 170 cm | 152 lb |
| Emma Tall | Sweden | Europe | High Performance CrossFit | 31 | 168 cm | 68 kg |
| Karin Freyová | Slovakia | Europe | Alpha Prime CrossFit | 28 | 170 cm | 72 kg |
| Elisa Fuliano | Italy | Europe | CrossFit Altessano | 27 | 157 cm | 60 kg |
| Gabriela Migała | Poland | Europe | CrossFit 72D | 24 | 170 cm | 75 kg |
| Shahad Budebs | United Arab Emirates | Asia | CrossFit Moon | 28 | 160 cm | 60 kg |
| Rebecka Vitesson | Sweden | Europe | CrossFit Butcher’s Lab | 29 | 173 cm | 65 kg |
| Matilde Garnes | Norway | Europe | CrossFit Oslo | 27 | 174 cm | 70 kg |
| Ella Wunger | Sweden | Europe | C23 CrossFit | 25 | 170 cm | 70 kg |
| Manon Angonese | Belgium | Europe | – | 30 | 163 cm | 69 kg |
| Laura Horvath | Hungary | Europe | CrossFit Glasshouse | 26 | 170 cm | 70 kg |
| Emma McQuaid | Ireland | Europe | Crooked Lake CrossFit | 33 | 165 cm | 67 kg |
| Victoria Campos | Brazil | South America | CrossFit Mayhem | 30 | 161 cm | 140 lb |
| Baylee Rayl | United States | North America West | – | 27 | 67 in | 135 lb |
| Kelly Baker | United States | North America West | CrossFit Greater Heights | 31 | 64 in | 150 lb |
| Alexia Williams | Argentina | South America | WTC CrossFit | 24 | 169 cm | 70 kg |
| Alex Gazan | United States | North America West | Rhino CrossFit | 21 | 66 in | 150 lb |
| Danielle Brandon | United States | North America East | CrossFit Naples | 27 | 170 cm | 150 lb |
| Abigail Domit | United States | North America West | Lone Star CrossFit | 25 | 67 in | 147 lb |
| Emily Rolfe | Canada | North America West | CrossFit Sea Level | 34 | 170 cm | 152 lb |
| Olivia Kerstetter | United States | North America West | Solution 1 CrossFit | 17 | 65 in | 160 lb |
| Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir | United States | North America West | CrossFit Coeur d’Alene | 30 | 169 cm | 152 lb |
| Arielle Loewen | United States | North America West | – | 29 | 63 in | 150 lb |
| Emily de Rooy | Australia | Oceania | CrossFit Townsville | 22 | 174 cm | 75 kg |
| Ellie Turner | Australia | Oceania | CrossFit Fort Vancouver | 25 | 167 cm | 72 kg |
| Christine Kolenbrander | United States | North America West | CrossFit 417 | 31 | 66 in | 154 lb |
| Jamie Simmonds | New Zealand | Oceania | CrossFit Yas | 32 | 163 cm | 135 lb |
| Bethany Flores | United States | North America West | Next Level CrossFit | 29 | 64 in | 144 lb |
| Michelle Basnett | South Africa | Africa | CrossFit Charlotte | 26 | 64 in | 152 lb |
| Feeroozeh Saghafi | United States | North America East | CrossFit Naples | 28 | 61 in | 133 lb |
| Emma Lawson | Canada | North America East | CrossFit PSC | 18 | 65 in | 140 lb |
| Paige Powers | United States | North America East | CrossFit Mayhem | 20 | 64 in | 155 lb |
| Shelby Neal | United States | North America East | 12th State CrossFit | 23 | 62 in | 150 lb |
| Paige Semenza | United States | North America East | CrossFit Vertex | 31 | 63 in | 147 lb |
| Caroline Stanley | United States | North America East | College Hill CrossFit | 23 | 63 in | 145 lb |
| Amanda Barnhart | United States | North America East | CrossFit High Gear | 31 | 67 in | 160 lb |
| Sydney Wells | United States | North America East | CrossFit East Nashville | 28 | 66 in | 151 lb |
| Alexis Raptis | United States | North America East | TTT CrossFit | 24 | 65 in | 155 lb |
| Emma Cary | United States | North America East | CrossFit Naples | 19 | 64 in | 140 lb |
Men
| NAME | COUNTRY | REGION | AFFILIATE | AGE | HEIGHT | WEIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michal Wesolowski | Poland | Europe | CrossFit Strong House | 30 | 184 cm | 98 kg |
| Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson | Iceland | Europe | CrossFit Hengill | 30 | 178 cm | 190 lb |
| David Shorunke | United Kingdom | Europe | High Performance CrossFit | 33 | 189 cm | 103 kg |
| Morteza Sedaghat | Iran | Asia | – | 28 | 172 cm | 89 kg |
| Bronislaw Olenkowicz | Poland | Europe | CrossFit Strong House | 34 | 182 cm | 99 kg |
| Henrik Haapalainen | Finland | Europe | CrossFit Basement | 28 | 185 cm | 94 kg |
| Moritz Fiebig | Germany | Europe | CrossFit Sankt Pauli | 28 | 179 cm | 95 kg |
| Lazar Đukić | Serbia | Europe | Nero CrossFit | 27 | 182 cm | 93 kg |
| Arthur Semenov | – | Asia | EA CrossFit | 30 | 189 cm | 99 kg |
| Fabian Beneito | Spain | Europe | CrossFit Zarautz | 27 | 178 cm | 90 kg |
| Uldis Upenieks | Latvia | Europe | – | 25 | 174 cm | 85 kg |
| Jonne Koski | Finland | Europe | CrossFit 10K | 28 | 171 cm | 190 lb |
| Jelle Hoste | Belgium | Europe | CrossFit Kortrijk | 28 | 190 cm | 98 kg |
| Kalyan Souza | Brazil | South America | CrossFit Al Ain | 22 | 184 cm | 92 kg |
| Nick Mathew | United States | North America West | CrossFit Minnetonka | 29 | 69 in | 200 lb |
| Justin Medeiros | United States | North America West | CrossFit Fort Vancouver | 24 | 69 in | 195 lb |
| Brent Fikowski | Canada | North America West | – | 32 | 74 in | 220 lb |
| Noah Ohlsen | United States | North America East | Peak 360 CrossFit | 32 | 67 in | 190 lb |
| Cole Greashaber | United States | North America West | CrossFit Lee’s Summit (LS) | 23 | 72 in | 212 lb |
| Bayley Martin | New Zealand | Oceania | CrossFit Selwyn | 23 | 174 cm | 82 kg |
| Samuel Kwant | United States | North America West | – | 27 | 71 in | 206 lb |
| Chandler Smith | United States | North America West | CrossFit Invictus | 30 | 68 in | 195 lb |
| Jake Douglas | Australia | Oceania | Snake CrossFit | 32 | 172 cm | 202 lb |
| Kaique Cerveny | Brazil | South America | CrossFit Lago Sul | 25 | 1 cm | 96 kg |
| Cole Sager | United States | North America West | CrossFit Spokane Valley | 32 | 71 in | 200 lb |
| Jay Crouch | Australia | Oceania | Reebok CrossFit Frankston | 24 | 175 cm | 85 kg |
| Patrick Vellner | Canada | North America West | CrossFit Nanaimo | 33 | 71 in | 195 lb |
| Colten Mertens | United States | North America West | CrossFit Kilo | 25 | 64 in | 180 lb |
| Jayson Hopper | United States | North America East | CrossFit Crash | 25 | 73 in | 220 lb |
| Samuel Cournoyer | Canada | North America East | CrossFit ADM Chambly | 27 | 180 cm | 205 lb |
| Jason Smith | South Africa | Africa | CrossFit Sunninghill | 39 | 185 cm | 195 lb |
| Jack Farlow | Canada | North America East | CrossFit PSC | 21 | 73 in | 210 lb |
| Dallin Pepper | United States | North America East | CrossFit Naples | 21 | 72 in | 215 lb |
| Jeffrey Adler | Canada | North America East | CrossFit Wonderland | 29 | 69 in | 197 lb |
| Luke Parker | United States | North America East | CrossFit Mayhem | 29 | 71 in | 205 lb |
| Alex Vigneault | Canada | North America East | 31 | 71 in | 205 lb | |
| Roman Khrennikov | United States | North America East | CrossFit Mayhem | 28 | 182 cm | 103 kg |
| James Sprague | United States | North America East | CrossFit Naples | 21 | 74 in | 210 lb |
| Will Moorad | United States | North America East | CrossFit East Nashville | 34 | 69 in | 190 lb |
| Spencer Panchik | United States | North America East | CrossFit Mentality | 27 | 68 in | 190 lb |
How to Watch:
To watch the 2023 CrossFit Games, here are the options available:
- Official CrossFit Games Website: The official CrossFit Games website is a primary source for watching the games. They provide live streaming and updates about the event.
- CrossFit Games YouTube Channel: The official CrossFit Games YouTube channel will be live-streaming the event. This is a popular platform for fans worldwide to watch the games in real-time.
- CrossFit Games Facebook Page: The CrossFit Games Facebook page is another platform where you can catch live updates and possibly live streams of the event.
Crossfit Games Latest News
Athlete cuts
After the competition concludes on Friday, August 4, the top 30 teams and the top 30 individual men and women will move forward.
By the end of the competition on Saturday, August 5, only the top 20 teams and the top 20 individual men and women will advance.
Historical Context:
Athlete cuts at the Games are not new. Out of 17 Games, 11 have had cuts. The cut to 30 athletes has been implemented four times in the past.
The CrossFit Games began making cuts in 2009. For six consecutive years, this format was consistent. However, from 2015 to 2018, there were no cuts, meaning 40 men and 40 women started and finished the competition. In 2019, the cuts were significant, reducing the competitors from 141 men and 129 women to just 10 of each.
Last year’s decision to cut to 30 was made to ensure the tests remained challenging. It’s implied that the same reasoning applies to the 2023 cuts.
Workout Hints
CrossFit has announced that a variation of the CrossFit WOD (Workout of the Day) named “Helen” will be featured in this year’s Games.
The traditional “Helen” workout consists of:
3 rounds for time of:
- 400-metre run
- 21 kettlebell swings (1.5/1 pood, 24/16 kg)
- 12 pull-ups
The workout at the Games will not be an exact replica of the famous “Helen” workout. Instead, all individual, age-group, and adaptive athletes will perform a version of the benchmark workout “Helen” at the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
A variation of “Helen” was previously seen in 2010, where individual athletes had to complete the pyramid double Helen and shoulder-to-overhead.
What Are the CrossFit Games?
The CrossFit Games are the ultimate proving grounds for the Fittest on Earth™. They are known as the definitive test of fitness and have been broadcasted on various platforms like ESPN, CBS, and other international channels. Athletes from over 120 countries have participated in these games.
Goal of the CrossFit Games:
The aim is to determine the Fittest on Earth. Athletes face a broad range of challenges, and the games reward those who display the most versatile abilities. The competition starts with the worldwide Open, and through various stages, it narrows down to the fittest 40 men, 40 women, 40 teams, 180 age-group athletes, and 30 adaptive athletes globally.
The Tests:
The CrossFit Games test athletes across multiple domains, movements, and time frames. A champion should be adept at strength, speed, endurance, and skill tests. There are also unique elements in the games that athletes might not be prepared for, emphasizing the need for adaptability and a broad skill set.
