Despite his challenging circumstances, Khrennikov decided to keep competing. He wanted to finish what he started and set an example. He was rewarded summarily for that courageous decision by receiving the 2023 Spirit of the Games Award. Even while he didn’t win, it was quite a way for the 2023 third Fittest Man on Earth® to leave Madison, WI.

According to the CrossFit HQ website, the winner of the annual Spirit of the Games honor is an athlete whose character eclipses an entire field’s worth of people with incredible character. Per rhetorical questions from the CrossFit Director of Certification and Training, Nicole Carroll, it assesses who “inspires and motivates us to live life, even in the face of the most extreme challenges, with a little more grace, a little more kindness, a little more resilience.”

Such a description made Khrennikov the only logical choice in 2023. After sustaining his foot injury, Khrennikov likely knew he had no real shot at winning his first CrossFit Games title. He could’ve easily cut his losses and left the competition with the idea of preserving his long-term health. Instead, the American athlete decided to stick it out. Even while he was severely hampered and only really capable of doing most of the remaining Games movements on one leg, Khrennikov pushed through to the finish line.

Why? When it came down to it, he wanted to set an example for his son.

“I want to be a hero for my son and have him see me fight to the end,” Khrennikov said on the final day of competition.

Khrennikov’s decision set a standard for everyone watching, not just the people in his family. Sometimes, athletic excellence isn’t about just winning in the technical sense. It’s about giving one’s all, regardless of adversity. Because when athletes like Khrennikov leave everything on the line with nothing to gain, that can also be counted as a tremendous victory.

Featured image: @gowod_mobilityfirst on Instagram

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2023 CrossFit Games Individual Leaderboard

The athletes began their day at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time in Madison, WI. Unlike last year’s Games, there was no major inclement weather that pushed any event or workout scheduling back. Though the 2022 Games did initially have plans for a rest day, that is not the case in 2023. The Individual athletes who make it all the way to the Finals are expected to compete for four consecutive days through Sunday, August 6, 2023.

Here are the respective top-10s for the Individual Women and Men after Day 1 of the 2023 CrossFit Games:

Women

1. Alexis Raptis (United States) — 270 points | Leader
2. Emily Rolfe (Canada) — 246 points
3. Arielle Loewen (United States) — 225 points
4. Emma Lawson (Canada) — 222 points
5. Annie Thorisdottir (Iceland) — 216 points
6. Bethany Flores (United States) — 204 points
7. Laura Horvath (Hungary) — 202 points
8. Paige Powers (United States) — 198 points
9. Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir (United States)— 188 points
10. Jamie Simmonds (New Zealand) — 183 points

Men

1. Roman Khrennikov (United States) — 279 points | Leader
2. Jay Crouch (Australia) — 258 points
3. Spencer Panchik (United States) — 225 points
4. Moritz Fiebig (Germany) — 216 points
5. Samuel Cournoyer (Canada) — 204 points
6. Brent Fikowski (Canada) — 201 points
7. Bjornvin Karl Gudmundsson (Iceland) — 164 points
8. Dallin Pepper (United States) — 143 points
9. James Sprague (United States) — 143 points
10. Jonne Koski (Finland) — 128 points

Event 1 Results — Ride

In this workout, athletes had 40 minutes to complete as many 2,400-meter laps as possible while riding a Trek Bikes Marlin 8 Mountain Bike. Each lap featured an 80-meter run with the bike to return it to a place where it can be ridden again.

The story of the workout was undoubtedly Emma Lawson, who paced ahead of the Women with seven laps for the first Games event win of her career. Lawson was the 2022 CrossFit Rookie of the Year and appears to already be building well on that debut. On the Men’s side, Ant Haynes cruised ahead of the rest of his peers with seven laps, too, but the current overall top two (Khrennikov and Crouch) weren’t far behind in fifth and fourth place, respectively. Haynes is in 30th place after the first day.

Here are the top five finishers for the Women:

Women

1. Emma Lawson — 7 laps
2. Emily Rolfe — 7 laps
3. Emma Tall — 7 laps
4. Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir — 7 laps
5. Alexis Raptis — 7 laps

Here are the top five finishers for the Men:

Men

1. Ant Haynes — 7 laps
2. Arthur Semenov — 7 laps
3. Jeffrey Adler — 7 laps
4. Jay Crouch — 7 laps
5. Roman Khrennikov — 7 laps

Event 2 Results — Pig Chipper

During this workout for time, the athletes had to throw around a mechanized “pig” weighing 254 kilograms (560 pounds) while completing other exercises, chipper-style. In a chipper, every repetition of one exercise must be finished before proceeding forward. The sequence was as follows:

• 10 pig flips
• 25 chest-to-bar pull-ups
• 50 toes-to-bar
• 100 wall ball shots
• 50 toes-to-bar
• 25 chest-to-bar pull-ups
• 10 pig flips

Khrennikov began to separate himself from the pack during this event, finishing the Pig Chipper with a time of 14:28.77. That was almost 16 seconds faster than runner-up Lazar Dukic. Laura Horvath was even more dominant for the Women, with a time of 13:50.40, which was over a minute faster than the next best competitor.

Event 3 Results — Inverted Medley

For the final event of Day 1 at the 2023 CrossFit Games, the athletes had to be handstand-proficient in the aptly-named Inverted Medley. For time, with a seven-minute time limit, here is what the athletes had to complete:

• 30-foot unbroken handstand walk over the ramp
• 8 free-standing handstand push-ups
• Unbroken obstacle steps to a 180-degree pirouette
• 16 pull-overs
• 360-degree pirouette to an unbroken step obstacle
• 8 free-standing handstand push-ups
• 30-foot unbroken handstand walk over the ramp

With a time of 3:12.75, Danielle Brandon set the pace for the Women. On the Men’s side, Cole Greashaber (3:47.89) was victorious, but runner-up Justin Medeiros might have been the bigger story. The two-time reigning champion in Medeiros sits in 22nd place after the first day of the Games. It is unclear what precisely happened to Medeiros, but commentary teams noted he had fallen during the Ride event. It is too early to declare a new champion, but Medeiros’ reign is in jeopardy after one day.

Day 2 Is Up Next

The 2023 CrossFit Games continue on Friday, August 4, 2023, with just a two-workout slate: The Alpaca Redux and the Ski Bag. Any athlete proficient in pushing sleds, legless rope climbs, and the SkiErg machine is likely relishing what’s to come in Madison. With three days left at CrossFit’s flagship contest, anything can happen, with both sides of the Individual field now seemingly wide open. There’s an entire weekend to go, and chaos already reigns.

Featured image: @crossfitgames on Instagram

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With the 2023 CrossFit Games inching ever closer, here’s a breakdown of Medeiros and four other potential Men’s contenders’ chances. At still just 24 years old, Medeiros would seemingly only be at the beginning of a dominant extended reign atop the CrossFit kingdom, joining the likes of four-time champion (2011-2014) Rich Froning Jr. and five-time Games winner (2016-2020) Mat Fraser. That is, unless any of these athletes have something to say about it.

Potential 2023 CrossFit Games Men’s Individual Contenders

It would likely be a shock to many in the CrossFit community if Medeiros fell short of an iconic “three-peat.” That’s not even unpacking the possibility of a new Men’s champion for the first time since 2020. In this event, both the Men and Women — who will be seeking a new CrossFit Individual queen in the absence of Tia-Clair Toomey — could have a new champion soon enough.

Here’s a short profile of CrossFit’s arguably biggest active star and four other Men’s Individual contenders in Madison.

Justin Medeiros (United States)

Best finish: Men’s Individual Champion (2021-2022)

Games debut: 2020

Medeiros wasted no time bursting onto the scene as a bright 21-year-old during his debut in the 2020 CrossFit Games. The athlete earned a podium result, finishing just behind Samuel Kwant (second place) and the legendary Mat Fraser at the end of his CrossFit Games run. With Fraser and a definitive challenger out of the picture the following year in 2021, Medeiros stormed his way to his first Games title, looking destined for greatness in the process. Such a prognostication ended up coming true.

Medeiros will be tough to beat for anyone in the Men’s field. It may take a catastrophic finish in one of the events and/or the champion being entirely off his game to fall short of another resounding victory.

Jeffrey Adler (Canada)

Best finish: Fifth place (2020, 2022)

Games debut: 2019

Adler is probably one of the more notable contenders on the Men’s side of the Games bracket. After a top-five finish in 2022 — his second in three years — it’s apparent the Canadian dynamo is establishing a consistent rhythm and comfort that serves him well in a tense, chaotic environment like the Games.

Adler recently won the Men’s 2023 North America East Semifinal. If he can transfer over such a performance to Madison, he seems primed to make a legitimate run for the grand prize.

Lazar Đukić (Serbia)

Best finish: Eighth place (2022)

Games debut: 2021

To some, Đukić could have the appearance of a “dark horse” — someone who isn’t an obvious contender but may deliver a surprise upset for placing near the top. That line of thinking would be a mistake because, when all is said and done, consistency can win out in the endurance grind of the Games.

Đukić is coming off a victory in the Men’s Europe Semifinal and finished in 12th place worldwide during the Quarterfinal. It would not be a stretch to see this Serbian competitor making a legitimate leap toward the top of CrossFit.

Roman Khrennikov (United States)

Best finish: Runner-up (2022)

Games debut: 2020

It’s easy to forget now, but Khrennikov actually already almost beat Medeiros in a CrossFit Games setting. In 2022, the fellow American athlete fell just 27 points short of overcoming Medeiros and earning the vaunted title. The critical thing to remember is that while some might have forgotten how close Khrennikov came to glory, the athlete assuredly didn’t repress the memory of besting Medeiros in nine of the 18 workouts during the 2022 Games.

Khrennikov hasn’t been at the absolute top of his game lately — he finished in just fourth place during the North America East Semifinal and was only in 19th worldwide during the Quarterfinal — but that might not matter at the Games. The athlete has shown he has the capacity to rise to the occasion and perform in a big moment.

Patrick Vellner (Canada)

Best finish: Runner-up (2018, 2021)

Games debut: 2016

A seasoned veteran, Vellner is entering his ninth CrossFit Games (including an appearance at the 2015 Games in the Teams division). Such a track record highlights Vellner as a model of dependability. At age 33, he is undoubtedly one of the older athletes in the Men’s Individual competition, as the Age Group division begins at 35, but that shouldn’t diminish his potential for a win. If anything, such extended experience could give Vellner a decisive edge over his peers.

It’s been two years since Vellner fell just short of Medeiros himself during the 2021 Games. This was after Vellner was runner-up to Mat Fraser in 2018. After shining in the North America West Semifinal, Vellner could be another athlete seeking a well-earned redemption. That one shining moment almost a decade into his elite CrossFit career might be around the corner.

Medeiros seems well-positioned to make another worthy addition to his trophy case. The Games, however, can be anything but predictable. It wouldn’t be a shock to see one of these competitors give him a real run for his money.

Featured image: @justinmedeiros34 on Instagram

The post 5 Contenders for the Men’s CrossFit Games, Including Defending Champion Justin Medeiros appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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.

Featured Posts: @roman_khrennikov on Instagram

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