2020 CrossFit Games Finals best moments:
1. Kari Pearce Betas Every Athlete During Atalanta
The determination on Kari Pearce’s face during the last workout of the weekend is something none of us will forget soon. The American athlete lead from the start and didn’t slow down, crossing the finish line ahead of the whole field of competing athletes, men and women alike.
There was one point, at the end of the 300 pull-ups, where it looked like Katrin Davidsdottir might catch Pearce, but as soon as the second hit the run it became clear she wasn’t going to allow that. Her impressive performance did not only grant her her first event win of the 2020 CrossFit Games but was enough to secure her first CrossFit Games podium.
Watch Kari Pearce complete Atalanta:
2. Toomey and Fraser Sweep Day Two of Competition
The pair of them were incredibly dominant throughout the weekend, but watching them compete on Saturday was definitely a highlight. Both CrossFit Games champions went four for four on day 2 of the 2020 CrossFit Games finals – the only other athlete who has won every event during a full day of competition is Rich Froning, back in 2013.
“__ __ ___ __ “ –@chase_ingraham pic.twitter.com/EFwjk4XxyM
— The CrossFit Games (@CrossFitGames) October 24, 2020
2020 CrossFit Games Finals – Day 2 Full Recap
The training partners moved in calculated ways and showed they always have a new gear when the competition got close.
3. Jeffrey Adler’s Massive CrossFit Total
The Canadian athlete was relatively unknown going into the 2020 CrossFit Games Finals, having secured his spot by two points during Stage 1 of competition.
Looking at his past performances in the Open and Sanctionals, we knew heavy barbells were his forte, but we were still to see just how strong the man is.
During the CrossFit Total, Adler pulled a huge deadlift, securing the heaviest total at 1,244lb and earning himself his first CrossFit Games event win.
He was the only athlete not wearing a lifting belt for the event.
4. Medeiros and Fraser’s Sprint Finish Halfway Through the Ranch Loop
Both athletes really pushed the gas pedal on what they thought were the last few hundred meters of the Ranch Loop – only to be told they had to do the course over again in reverse.
Watching them sprint down the last hill to what they thought was the finish line, fighting for the first spot, was incredibly exciting. The fact that they then found out they’d have to turn around and complete the course over again just made this moment even more special.
5. Haley Adams’ Resilience
The youngest athlete in the 2020 CrossFit Games field, Adams proved last year she belongs with the top athletes by securing a top 10 finish during the 2019 Games and earning the Rookie of the Year title. The 19-year-old qualified to the 2020 Finals as the third-best athlete after Stage 1.
Adams has kept improving and throughout this past weekend there were many little moments in which she showcased incredible mental strength, grit and resilience.
She opened the competition with a 2nd place finish and she would go on to collect four more of those. Even having placed fourth overall at the end of the competition, Adams showed how tough she is in every workout – she kept pushing through the 300 pull-ups of Atalanta even though her hands were badly ripped and bleeding a lot, when other athletes dropped to lower sets – and we won’t be surprised to see her at the top for many years to come.
6. The Ever Changing Leaderboard
Setting aside Fraser and Toomey, the leaderboard positions from second through fifth changed and jumped with every event. Athletes bounced up and down the leaderboard so much it was hard to keep up.
In the space of one event you could go from sitting in 5th place to second, that’s how close the competition was for the first 10 events.
While the five-person format was a one-off, it made for a fun format where competing athletes couldn’t afford a bad event because it’d have immense consequences on the leaderboard.
7. Four Tenths of a Second
Less than that separated Samuel Kwant and Mat Fraser during the Sprint Sled Sprint event. At first, it looked like Fraser had this one in the bag, but Kwant caught up with him in the last few meters and they crossed the finish line together.
In the end, Fraser’s ankle chip crossed the finish line 0.37 seconds ahead of Kwant’s, locking another event victory for the Fittest Man on Earth.
There’s a case to be made for timing chips to be placed somewhere other than the athlete’s ankle for sprint events like this, where every millisecond counts. As it is and regardless of the result, the photo finish between Fraser and Kwant is one of the most memorable and exciting moments of the 2020 CrossFit Games Finals.
FOUR-TENTHS OF A SECOND
That was the difference between Kwant and @MathewFras.
Men’s Points Breakdown: After E11
Fraser: 1,050 pts.
Kwant: 590 pts. (-460)
Medeiros : 505 pts. (-85)
Adler: 470 pts. (-35)
Ohlsen: 465 pts. (-15) pic.twitter.com/yUM6z7WsLH— The CrossFit Games (@CrossFitGames) October 25, 2020
8. Toomey and Fraser Make History, Three New Faces on the Podium
After their incredibly dominant performance, Fraser made history by earing his fifth CrossFit Games title, winning the most CrossFit Games titles any athlete has ever won. Toomey on her part also continued to write history, stacking now four consecutive CrossFit Games wins when the previous women’s record lay at two with Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir.
This is even more impressive when put into perspective; Fraser has not only been at the top of the game for half a decade, but was in reach of it for the two years prior, where he finished 2nd.
Toomey also finished second two years in a row before claiming the highest spot on the CrossFit Games podium – that’s six years of being more dominant that pretty much any other female athlete.
No rookie finished on the podium during last year’s CrossFit Games, but Justin Medeiros made sure the streak didn’t continue by finishing third overall. The 2020 CrossFit Games podium also saw Samuel Kwant, a Games veteran and new father, and Kari Pearce win their first Games medals.
Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Image Sources
- 2020 crossfit games podium: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
- 2020-crossfit-games-highlights: Photo courtesy of CrossFit Inc.