The 15th CrossFit Games have come to a close and there were plenty of memorable moments from the competition that will be remembered in years to come.
Now that the six action-packed days are over and the Fittest on Earth have been determined, we look back at the top 10 great moments from the 2021 CrossFit Games.
While not a great moment as such, a highlight from this year’s CrossFit Games was the absence of many athletes from the competition floor; athletes who either couldn’t make it to Madison as a result of the global pandemic or who medically withdrew from the Games before their conclusion.
From the return of live competition to some storylines you might have missed and astounding performances, have a look at our top picks for 10 great moments from the CrossFit Games.
Top 10 Great Moments from the CrossFit Games
10 – The Return of Live Competition
With five out of ten Semifinals taking place online, this was the first time a great number of athletes competed live since March last year.
The “return to normality” was a huge highlight and it was easy to tell how much it meant to the athletes, who were finally able to work out knowing where their competitors stood. It made for exciting watching and nail-biting races to the finish line across all divisions.
Live competition wasn’t only great for competing athletes but was also a treat for spectators; those who watched live roared and cheered to make up for their absence in the last year and a half.
9 – Guilherme Malheiros Steals the Show
The Brazilian athlete had been highlighted for his strength before the CrossFit Games, but not many people expected him to steal the show the way he did.
He caught everyone’s attention by pulling ahead and winning Event 3, the 550 yard sprint, during the heat that took the top three spots for that event. He was closely chased by Pat Vellner and Will Moorad, but either athlete was able to catch him, and the event win put Malheiros on the map.
Once he was on everyone’s radar, Gui took his second Event win during Event 7, a heavy clean and run couplet. He beat Jeffrey Adler’s time, who set an impressive sub-five-minute time in the previous heat and was poised to win the event, by 8 seconds.
His best moment came during Event 12, a 1-rep-max snatch. Malheiros went in “knowing he would win,” as revealed in the post-event interview, and put on an absolute spectacle.
After nine rounds of increasingly heavier lifts, which eliminated athletes unable to hit the weight, Malheiros continued to snatch with flawless technique and was the only athlete to lift 305 lb.
The Brazilian athlete held on to the bar overhead for a good couple of seconds in celebration, ensuring everyone saw his incredible lift.
8 – Scott Panchik’s Emotional Retirement
In the last decade, Scott Panchik has become a legend in the sport of CrossFit. The American athlete has competed in the CrossFit Games nine times, qualifying every year since 2012 (he planned to compete with Rich Froning in team Mayhem for the 2020 season, but the division got cancelled).
He is one of the most consistent athletes in the sport, having finished inside the top 6 in seven out of his nine CrossFit Games appearances.
“10 years and I’ve saved the best for last,” Panchik wrote on Instagram one day before the competition’s start, announcing his retirement. “This will be my FINAL ride.”
Competing with an injured knee, Panchik finished in 11th place overall and secured two event victories, one in Event 4, wall walks and thrusters, and a second in Event 8, the handstand walk course.
The end of his last workout had CrossFit Games commentators Sean Woodland and Chase Ingraham in tears, and fans from the community ran alongside him in support during Event 10.
He might have never stepped on the CrossFit Games podium, but Scott Panchik will sure be remembered as one of the sport’s greatest athletes.
7 – Teenage Competitors Crash the Individual Field with Great Success
Despite being eligible to compete in the Teenage division, both Mallory O’Brien and Emma Cary decided to go straight for the Individual division and competed with great success.
At 17-years-old, Emma Cary was the youngest athlete to ever compete in the Individual division and showed incredible grit during what arguably was the hardest workout of the 2021 CrossFit Games, Event 4, by winning her heat. She would finish the weekend ranked 16th overall.
Mallory O’Brien, also 17 years old, was equally impressive. She became the 7th Fittest Woman on Earth at the end of the CrossFit Games and secured the first event win of her career, beating Emma Cary and Tia-Clair Toomey in Event 4. Her performance earnt her the Rookie of the Year award.
It was incredible to watch these two athletes give seasoned veterans a run for their money.
6 – Lazar Đukić Makes the Top 10
One athlete that didn’t get enough attention during the 2021 CrossFit Games was Lazar Đukić. The Serbian athlete qualified for the CrossFit Games in 2019 and 2020 but declined to compete that first year as he didn’t feel ready to go head-to-head against the best in the world.
Instead, he decided to delay his rookie year until he could prove to be a good match, which he did, finishing 9th overall in his first CrossFit Games this year.
Đukić started his weekend with a second-place finish in the swim and paddle event and would go on to earn himself 11 finishes in the top 15 out of 15 events, including an event win in Event 10.
Expect to see a lot more from this 25-year-old.
5 – Masters and Teenagers Showcase their Incredible Strength
Teenagers were also tested in their 1-rep-max snatch and Olivia Kerstetter dominated the event. The 15-year-old snatched 202 lb, more than anyone her division or the division above. What’s more, her snatch was 2 lb heavier than the heaviest snatch the women in the Individual division hit.
Both Annie Thorisdottir’s and Tia-Clair Toomey’s last successful snatch was 200 lb.
In the Masters division, it was incredible to watch Susan Clarke and Lynne Knapman crack Event 7 in the Women 60-64 division. They were the only two women able to perform bar muscle ups after 25 chest-to-bar pull-ups, 26 calories on the ski erg and 150 double unders, and so finish the event within the time cap.
Susan Clarke secured her fifth CrossFit Games gold medal in five CrossFit Games appearances, and Lynne Knapman, who has qualified for every CrossFit Games since 2010, continued to showcase her consistency by finishing fourth.
4 – Event 4 Destroys Athletes, Athletes Destroy Event 11
The expression on athlete’s faces during Event 4 of the CrossFit Games was comparable to that of someone who’s in the middle of questioning their entire life choices.
This brutal event had athletes complete a 10-1 ladder of wall walks and heavy thrusters, and competitors got through it sweating profusely, with the desire to rid of their arms and shoulders written on their face.
In contrast, Individual athletes “broke” Event 11, breezing though the workout like they hadn’t just spent the last four days competing in the CrossFit Games.
The workout, which involved four rounds of GHD sit-ups, cheese curd burpees over a hay bale and a yoke carry, was meant to take athletes at least 3 rounds to complete. Instead, the best athletes were only feet away from the finish line after only one round.
The best times were set by Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson, Patrick Vellner and Justin Medeiros on the men’s side, and Tia-Clair Toomey, Gabriela Migala and Laura Horvath on the women’s.
3 – Danielle Brandon Cruises Through Handstand Walk Course
With two of her teammates medically withdrawing from the CrossFit Games before the start of the competition after testing positive for COVID-19, Danielle Brandon must have had an incredibly hard weekend.
In an effort to keep athletes safe and according to CrossFit’s COVID protocol, Brandon warmed up separately and competed a few lanes away from everyone else in the female field throughout the Games.
One of the great moments from the CrossFit Games was watching her fight back and race through the handstand walking course.
She set a time to beat that was ultimately over 20 seconds faster than what Haley Adams, second in the event, achieved.
Where all other women were walking on their hands, Brandon was racing, and her mastery of this exercise was a huge highlight.
2 – Annie Thorisdottir
Everything about Annie Thorisdottir presence at the CrossFit Games this year is a highlight of the competition.
While the Icelandic athlete’s battle for third place was more than epic, there were so many more memorable moments throughout the competition that made Annie the star, especially considering the context of her CrossFit Games appearance this year.
She did not only give birth a year ago, but has also been incredibly open about her struggles with post-partum depression and body dysmorphia throughout the season.
“I wasn’t even planning on being here, I didn’t even think I could compete, and I podiumed,” Annie said in tears at the end of her last event. “I have probably had one of the hardest years of my life, but I’ve also had one of the best years of my life at the same time.”
Before that, Annie and Tia-Clair Toomey were the last two woman standing during Event 12, the 1-rep-max snatch. Annie’s facial expressions kept getting wilder and wilder with every lift she hit, seemingly unable to believe what she’d just done.
It was incredible watching her leave it all on the floor, enjoy the event like no one else, and be genuinely proud of what she had just accomplished.
To the delight of the crowd, Annie also secured an event win during Event 14 which involved freestanding handstand push-ups and heavy deadlifts.
Annie Thorisdottir is a former two-time CrossFit Games champion and the only woman to ever competed in three different decades at the Games. She has now accumulated six CrossFit Games medals.
Her journey to third place was so incredible, we dedicated an article to it, read it here.
1 – The Adaptive Division’s Closing CrossFit Games Workout
The greatest moment from the 2021 CrossFit Games didn’t belong to any of the individual athletes, but to the Adaptive divisions.
This was the first year adaptive Divisions were included in the CrossFit Games and not many moments can compare to the emotions at play during the final event of the adaptive divisions; emotions that overflowed anyone watching.
It’s incredibly powerful witnessing someone overcome hardship, and the last workout at the CrossFit Games captured the atelicity, tenacity and grit these incredible athletes display.
It was mind blowing to see adaptive athletes on the competition floor and witness how they adapt the movements we all do in training day in and day out.
There is no question that representation matters and, even though only three divisions made an appearance at the CrossFit Games in 2021, you can be sure this division will grow and spread in the future as a result of it.
Not only on a CrossFit Games level, but CrossFit Affiliates will see more adaptive athletes go through their doors and the interest in learning how to optimally coach and include them will grow.
The value of including these divisions in the CrossFit Games cannot be understated.
Which CrossFit Games moment was your favourite? Let us know in the comment’s section below.
