And just like that, the 2021 Fittest Man and Woman on Earth have been crowned. Justin Medeiros and Tia-Clair Toomey walked away with the title; Tia earning her fifth consecutive CrossFit Games win.
However the journey to the podium was packed with incredible moments, emotional Event wins and races to the finish; all of which was captured by photographers on the ground.
Here are 20 awesome and inspiring pictures that sum up the spirit and excitement of the the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
For the first time in CrossFit Games history, Adaptive athletes were able to compete to become the Fittest on Earth. Logan Aldridge, third place finisher, lost his left arm in a boating accident as a kid. On the first day of the 2021 CrossFit Games he deadlift 405lbs.
Guilherme Malheiros made Latin America proud this year. The 21-year-old Brazilian won several events at the CrossFit Games, including the heavy snatch where he put 305lbs above his head, beating Pat Vellner.
This is Malheiros’ second Individual CrossFit Games. He came 48th in 2019, and second in the Boys 16-17 division in 2018. His performance in 2021 — where he finished 7th — proves that hard work really does pay off.
While 300lb lifts and record-breaking times are impressive, the feats of strength by the Master’s athletes is something else entirely. This is Vincent Diephuis, winner of the Men’s 55-59 Division.
After winning Rookie of the Year in 2020, Justin Medeiros was crowned Fittest on Earth in 2021. At 22 years old, he is the youngest ever CrossFit Games winner.
Photos From the 2021 CrossFit Games
Annie Thorisdottir’s comeback at the 2021 CrossFit Games was one of this year’s highlights. Throughout the week the Queen of Iceland just got better and better despite suffering a series of setbacks in the run up to the start of the competition. She even surprised herself during the 1RM Snatch; pulling off an incredible 200lbs.
No image sums up the spirit of the Games quite like this one of third-place finisher Brent Fikowski leaving it all out on the floor after Event 15.
Lidia Beer (65), Patty Bauer (68), and Polly Mckinstry (66) were the first three women to win Fittest on Earth in the new 65+ plus category, proving age ain’t nothing but a number.
This picture of Tia-Clair Toomey, 17-year-old Emma Cary, and Saxon Panchik sums up the various emotions one might feel when coming face-to-face with one of Dave Castro’s Games workouts.
This portrait of Mallory O’Brien was taken moments before she head onto the floor to win Event 4 — a workout consisting of wall walks and thrusters. The 17-year-old became the youngest ever Event winner at the CrossFit Games, and earned herself Rookie of the Year.
The boys are back! A well-earned bottle of champagne for the three Fittest Men on Earth.
Rhapsody CrossFit bringing the pain during the sled pull event at the 2021 CrossFit Games. This year Rich Froning’s CrossFit Mayhem became of the most dominant team of all time, winning five Fittest Team on Earth titles.
Speaking of dominance, Australia’s Tia-Clair Toomey became the 5x Fittest Woman on Earth this year. The 27-year-old has the most event wins of any other Games athlete in history, and doesn’t look close to stopping any time soon.
Brooke Wells was doing well in the competition all the way up to Event 12. On a 190lb snatch attempt, Brook lost control of the barbell and dislocated her elbow, medically withdrawing from the competition.
On her Instagram she wrote “Thank you to the extremely professional medical staff that treated me on-site. This is a speedbump and it’s all part of my journey. Gods plan is bigger than mine. See you soon.”
CrossFit Surbiton was in a race to the podium against France’s CrossFit Genas in the final events of the Games. While they didn’t quite beat the French team, Surbiton was one of three European teams vying for the podium for the first time, along with number two Fittest Team on Earth CrossFit Oslo.
Photos From the 2021 CrossFit Games
The ecstasy of success from third Fittest Woman on Earth in the Upper Extremity division, France’s Anne-Laure Coutenceau.
Officially the second Fittest Man on Earth, Pat Vellner came in dead last in Event 1. He spent the rest of the week climbing his way back up the leaderboard, to finish only 82 points behind Justin Medeiros.
The podium for the Fittest Women on Earth: Laura Horvath, Tia-Clair Toomey and Annie Thorisdottir.
After missing out on the 2020 Games by a couple of points, Smith was cut after Event 10. He was 1 point away from making it through to the end of the weekend.
Annie Thorisdottir draped in the Icelandic flag following an emotional post-Event interview. In the interview she said “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.”
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