These superb athletes are all changing preconceptions of what the human body is capable of. From athletes that demonstrate exceptional consistency at the top level within the sport of fitness, through to multiple CrossFit Games champions that also balance family and working life, these athletes are true heroes and deserve more respect and recognition for their hard work!
Masters Athletes To Watch
Here are 19 of the hundreds of Masters athletes killing it on the competition floor year after year.
1. Becca Voigt Miller
Arguably the most consistent athlete the CrossFit Games has seen, Rebecca Voigt has competed in every CrossFit Games since 2008, giving her the all-time record for most consecutive individual CrossFit Games appearances.
Not only has she competed in nine consecutive CrossFit Games, she has consistently finished in the top half of the field, taking third in 2011 and collecting five top-11 finishes across her career.
Celebrated for her perseverance and positive spirit, Voigt was awarded the Spirit of the Games Award in 2014. A former collegiate basketball player, she owns CrossFit Training Yard in Toluca Lake, California, and at 35 was the oldest—and at five-foot-nine, tallest—individual female to compete in the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games.
2. Lynne Knapman
The only athlete to have qualified for every CrossFit Games masters competition, ten-time CrossFit Games athlete Lynne Knapman is the most veteran CrossFit Games masters athlete in the world, competing in every Games since 2010.
She made her debut Games appearance in the same year she started CrossFit. Though she had no previous athletic experience, she finished in seventh. Knapman took her career-best finish of second place in 2015 in the Masters 55-59 Division, following it with another podium finish in 2016, when she took third. Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Knapman is a high-school math teacher.
3. David Hippensteel
David Hippensteel is a 7 -time CrossFit Games masters athlete and the champion of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Masters 60+ Division. A former triathlete and decathlete, he started CrossFit in 2012, winning the 2013 Open in the 55-59 Division just one year later and making his first Games appearance with a fifth-place finish in 2013.
He placed 5th and 8th in his division at the Games for the next two years before earning his title in the 60+ Division in 2016 and then defending that title in 2017 and 2018! In 2019 he had a severe calf muscle strain during the qualifier but still qualified and went on to place 6th at the games even though he herniated a disc in his back 2 weeks before the Games.
A dentist and founder of Screaming Eagle CrossFit in Clarksville, Tennessee, Hippensteel’s daughter Heather Hippensteel has also competed at the Games for 4 years since 2013 on team Invictus including the year Invictus won the championship in 2014. He and his wife Carol of 35+ years have 3 other children, Jonathan, Joelle, and Troy who are also doing CrossFit among other sports.
4. Alethea Boon
Alethea Boon is a four-year CrossFit Games competitor (Three individual, one team) with a best individual finish of 20th in 2015. Little more than a year after she started CrossFit, she helped team CrossFit Active to a sixth-place finish at the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games.
A former elite gymnast, Boon represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and 2002, and was a reserve member of the New Zealand gymnastics team at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
5. Anna Tobias
Before 2018 CrossFit Games Masters (35-39) Champion, and five-time individual CrossFit Games veteran Anna Tobias became an elite CrossFit athlete, she was an elite sailor—an Olympian, to be exact, competing in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, taking gold in 2008 in the laser radial class.
She started CrossFit in 2011 while training for the 2012 Olympics. Though she qualified for the 2012 South East Regional, she declined her invitation to focus on training for the Olympic trials.
In 2013, she made her first CrossFit Games appearance, finishing in the top 22 each year since with an individual career-best finish of ninth place in 2013, and winning the masters in 2018. Tobias trains at, coaches, and manages T2 CrossFit in South Fayette, PA.
6. Susan Clarke
CROSSFIT GAMES CAREER
Susan Clark has won the CrossFit Games 4 times!
| YEAR | OVERALL RANK | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1st | Women (60+) |
| 2017 | 1st | Women (55-59) |
| 2015 | 1st | Masters Women (55-59) |
| 2014 | 1st | Masters Women (55-59) |
7. Nicholas Urankar
CROSSFIT GAMES CAREER
| YEAR | OVERALL RANK | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1st | Men (35-39) |
| 2018 | 20th | Men |
| 2015 | 28th | Individual Men |
8. Bubba Hagood
CROSSFIT GAMES
| YEAR | OVERALL RANK | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 17th | Men (55-59) |
| 2016 | 17th | Masters Men (50-54) |
| 2015 | 10th | Masters Men (50-54) |
| 2014 | 15th | Masters Men (50-54) |
| 2013 | 8th | Masters Men (50-54) |
9. Kyle Kasperbauer
CROSSFIT GAMES
| YEAR | OVERALL RANK | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 10th | Men (35-39) |
| 2018 | 1st | Men (35-39) |
| 2017 | 1st | Men (35-39) |
| 2014 | 13th | Individual Men |
| 2013 | 20th | Individual Men |
| 2012 | 3rd | Individual Men |
Kyle Kasperbauer has been a mainstay at The CrossFit Games since 2009, most notably earning the title 3rd Fittest Man on Earth in 2012. Additionally, he has the distinct honor of being the only CrossFit Games athlete to have stood on the podium as an individual, team, and Masters competitor.
Kyle was born and raised on a corn, bean, and cattle farm in central Nebraska and earned his B.S. in Exercise Physiology (2006) and M.S. in Sports Medicine Athletic Training (2010) from the University of Nebraska – Omaha, where he was also a two-time Div. II All-American running back and team captain for the Mavs football team.
Kyle has been coaching for 10 years and has experience working with athletes from a wide variety of ages and populations. He also brings several years of working in a clinical rehabilitation setting to his arsenal to help people from any background experience the life-changing potential of participating in CrossFit.
His certifications include: CrossFit Level 2, CrossFit Weightlifting, CrossFit Aerobic Capacity, CrossFit Movement & Mobility, and CPR/AED/First Aid for the Professional Rescuer. When Special K isn’t coaching or training, he’s enjoying time with his beautiful wife and two kids.
10. John Lynch
“I’m a full-time Emergency Department physician, have a wonderful wife and 3 great sons. Somehow, I manage to get in my share of killer workouts with the help of some great coaches!”
11. Kelly Friel
CROSSFIT GAMES
| YEAR | OVERALL RANK | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2nd | Women (40-44) |
| 2018 | 2nd | Women (40-44) |
“I was introduced to CrossFit by my coach Ben Allen in 2012 when CrossFit Southampton first opened its doors. After many years of him telling me how amazing it was, he was right and I was hooked. I loved the varied types of exercise, but loved the lifting element CrossFit offered most of all.
I am often asked what my sporting background was prior to CF- the truth is I didn’t have one. I believe anyone can CrossFit in some capacity regardless of their history and I believe I am testament to this!
I have learned a lot about myself since discovering CrossFit and I love to share my knowledge and experience with new and existing members alike. I get a buzz out of helping people achieve things that they never thought would be possible. I believe that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.
To further my knowledge I studied my Level 5 in Sports and Remedial Massage Therapy. As well as training hard we need to look after our bodies and ensure that we get the right recovery. Sports massage can be for everyone; whether you’re an elite athlete, full time parent, keen gardener, desk bound office worker or just stressed out , the treatment can be tailored to meet you individual needs.”
12. Kevin Koester
CEO of Apex Steel & 2X CrossFit Games Masters Champion. Athlete, sportsman, ironworker, husband & father.
CROSSFIT GAMES
- 2019 1st Men (50-54)
- 2017 1st Men (50-54)
13. Leonardo Lima
CROSSFIT GAMES
- 2019 5th Men (50-54)
- 2018 11th Men (50-54)
14. Mary Schwing
“Oahu is my home. My passion is the ocean. I belong to the best Crossfit family in the world, Crossfit 808. Life is short…..do it all!”
CROSSFIT GAMES
2018 12th Women (60+)
2017 14th Women (60+)
2016 11th Masters Women (60+)
2015 3rd Masters Women (60+)
2014 2nd Masters Women (60+)
2013 3rd Masters Women (60+)
2012 1st Masters Women (60+)
15. Sam Briggs
“I compete as I’m truly passionate about pushing my limits and seeing what is actually possible!”
| YEAR | OVERALL RANK | DIVISION |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 17th | Women |
| 2018 | 2nd | Women (35-39) |
| 2017 | 9th | Women |
| 2016 | 4th | Individual Women |
| 2015 | 4th | Individual Women |
| 2013 | 1st | Individual Women |
16. Sarah Franklin
Firefighter/Paramedic for Broward Sheriffs Office SWAT medic on the Broward Sheriffs Office SWAT team. Mother of 3
CROSSFIT GAMES
2018 18th Women (40-44)
2017 4th Women (40-44)
17. Valerie Vobril
“I am a mom, wife, teacher, and crossfitter. I like to compete to test my progress, to see my hard work pay off, to have a goal(s) to work towards.”
CROSSFIT GAMES
2017 32nd Women
2014 5th Individual Women
2013 3rd Individual Women
2012 5th Individual Women
18. Jason Grubb
“My gradual slide towards a thicker waistband and de-conditioned body didn’t happen overnight. It took years of drinking IPAs, eating pizza, overdosing on carbs and sugars, and paying little attention to what I put in my body. I cycled in and out of traditional fitness gyms, spending hours on the treadmill and elliptical.
I stayed consistent and worked hard in the gym, building up my capacity to run 5-7 miles every other day (with Chip – my dog). I felt good, but nothing was changing my body or my general feeling of blah. In November 2013, I was invited to try out a workout at a CrossFit gym during a ‘bring a friend’ promotion.
I thought I knew what I was doing for fitness, even though it wasn’t working. I thought that I knew what fitness felt like. It felt like an ability to run 7 miles in around an hour – right? I had forgotten what it felt like to be able to move well, feel strong, and have the ability to do whatever I wanted to do physically. I had forgotten what it was like when I was a gymnast in junior high and high school.
Back then, I was competitive in my age and division and even had high hopes to go to the Olympics. I worked out with my peers 4-5 days a week at our gym developing skills on the floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar.
We were lean, healthy, flexible, and quite strong. Pull ups and pushups were simple exercises. Muscle ups, for example, were not a major complex movement (as they are in CrossFit). When I was 17, I realized I was getting burnt out and that I was not going make it to the Olympics.
After that I wasn’t sure how to stay healthy and fit. Life got busy with high school, college, marriage and kids. Twenty years later, I was thick and generally unhealthy, and while I could run 25 miles a week, I didn’t feel or look good. Finding my way towards health and fitness was a serendipitous experience. I finally accepted the invitation from my sister in law to try CrossFit, and it changed my life.
I realized how out of shape I was during that first week of CrossFit. I remember one of my first WODs, power cleans and burpees, where I tried to keep up with a very pregnant woman and had my ass handed to me. My first experiences with CrossFit didn’t just provide full body workouts – it gave me hope that I could come back from being in the worst shape of my life. Nothing I had been doing was working, despite my committed efforts, and yet this felt different.
I couldn’t get down to the ground and get back up (a simple burpee) ten times without feeling like I was going to die. I wasn’t discouraged, rather I felt inspired. I saw people around me who moved effortlessly, looked great, and seemed to feel great. Hope is a powerful motivator.
A fire was lit in my heart… and I started my journey to rediscover my health. This journey has taken me from a thick, out of shape 38 year old, to a healthy, fit, and wonderfully active 43 year old CrossFit Games Champion. I’ve rediscovered health, fitness, and a passion for helping others rediscover their health and fitness.”
19. Stephanie Roy
- 2018 winner Crossfit Games, 40-44 age group.
- 2017 winner Crossfit Games, 35-39 age group.
- 2018 Open 4th Canada East region, East Regionals, 17th out of 40. 2017 East Regionals, ranked 15th out of 40.
- Team Games athlete 2014-2015
I have been doing Crossfit since 2013. I have six regional appearances (3 individual, 3 team). I use to play indoor/outdoor soccer and ice hockey. I started Crossfit after a broken femur and never stopped since. I love to train, I love to compete and above all, I enjoy every moment of the process.
