2022 CrossFit Games Men’s runner-up Roman Khrennikov has his sights set on moving up that one last spot and overtaking two-time defending champion Justin Medeiros at the 2023 Games in Madison, WI in the week of Aug. 1-6. Khrennikov qualified for the Games thanks to placing fourth in the North America East Semifinal.
He’s made the most of the past month of preparing for the Games by committing his time to training in a variety of disciplines needed for CrossFit success. Along the way, he’s been documenting his progress on Instagram and sharing with his 129,000 followers.
On June 30, 2023, Khrennikov posted a video of himself performing gymnastic ring muscle-ups with an added twist for the upper body. He would perform an extra dip before lowering himself back down for the next repetition. The video clip doesn’t appear to show a complete set, but Khrennikov can be seen performing four full repetition of this advanced movement.
The elite CrossFitter has also has been putting the metcon machines through their paces. Two days before his ring workout, Khrennikov showed himself working through a superset of air bike pedaling and rowing. He didn’t disclose the specific “calories burned” or time performed for either exercise.
Last but certainly not least, Khrennikov has shown that he can still move serious weight on strength-focused lifts, such as this set of snatches with 93 kilograms (205 pounds), which he lifted for three explosive repetitions. He shared this training clip on June 19, 2023, and specified in the post caption that it was “[six] weeks before CrossFit Games.”
Khrennikov is one of several athletes looking to knock Medeiros off the top spot and prevent a “three-peat” at the Games on the Men’s side of the field. Other top contenders that have previously finished in second at the Games include Patrick Vellner (2018, 2021), Samuel Kwant (2020), and Noah Ohlsen (2019), each of whom also qualified for the 2023 Games.
Khrennikov’s runner-up finish in 2022 was his highest placing at the Games in his career. He was 13th in the 2020 Games, but didn’t compete in the sport’s championship contest in 2021 or 2018 despite being qualified.
As for the current champ he’s trying to dethrone, Medeiros is working to become the third-ever Men’s champion to win three titles in a row. Mat Fraser won five titles (2016-2020) and Rich Froning Jr. won four titles (2011-2014). Both Froning Jr. and Fraser ended their careers as champion. Ben Smith won the only title that separated Froning Jr. and Fraser’s reigns when he became the Fittest Man on Earth in 2015.
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