The Granite Games CrossFit Semifinal has now wrapped up, with teen phenomenon Mallory O’Brien and calculated Brent Fikowski coming out victorious.
Both athletes put out impressive performances, with 18-year-old O’Brien winning four out of six workouts – three with huge margins – and The Professor climbing his way up the leaderboard on the last day to claim that top spot.
The Granite Games took place between June 3 and 5 in Minnesota, U.S. and were the third CrossFit Semifinal taking place in North America. The competition established five men, women, and teams to qualify for the 2022 CrossFit Games.
Other Semifinals this past weekend included the Far East Throwdown in Busan and the online Age Group (50+) and Adaptive Semifinals.
Granite Games results
Women
Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.| Place | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mallory O’Brien | 576 |
| 2 | Amanda Barnhart | 520 |
| 3 | Dani Speegle | 504 |
| 4 | Alex Gazan | 484 |
| 5 | Emily Rolfe | 481 |
| 6 | Kloie Wilson | 476 |
| 7 | Feeroozeh Saghafi | 433 |
| 8 | Kelly Stone | 364 |
| 9 | Caroline Stanley | 349 |
| 10 | Chelsea Nicholas | 324 |
In bold: CrossFit Games qualifiers.
In italics: Last-Chance Qualifier athletes.
Men
Source: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.| Place | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent Fikowski | 520 |
| 2 | Phil Toon | 496 |
| 3 | Travis Mayer | 492 |
| 4 | Samuel Kwant | 466 |
| 5 | Colten Mertens | 438 |
| 6 | Nick Mathew | 428 |
| 7 | Matt Dlugos | 424 |
| 8 | Timothy Paulson | 409 |
| 9 | Anthony Davis | 377 |
| 10 | Leonel Franco | 362 |
In bold: CrossFit Games qualifiers.
In italics: Last-Chance Qualifier athletes.
Teams
| Place | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CrossFit Invictus | 580 |
| 2 | CrossFit Oba | 550 |
| 3 | CrossFit Move Fast Lift Heavy | 525 |
| 4 | CrossFit Greater Heights Ascend | 475 |
| 5 | Rhapsody CrossFit | 410 |
The five teams above have qualified for the 2022 CrossFit Games.
View the full leaderboard here.
Granite Games Semifinal highlights
Heavy lifts during the barbell complex
Dani Speegle stole the show by lifting an impressive 245lb during the Barbell Complex, which conformed of three cleans, two front squats, and a jerk. Speegle equalled Tia-Clair Toomey’s winning weight at the Torian Pro Semifinal (as well as Christine Kolenbrander’s and Paulina Haro’s at the Syndicate Crown).
On the men’s side, Anthony Davis had the crowd on their feet with his 355lb complex.
This is the most any man has lifted during Semifinals.
Games Rookies make a stand
Two rookies qualified for the 2022 CrossFit Games from the Granite Games.
Phil Toon, who placed 9th at last year’s Atlas Games Semifinal and then 6th in the Last-Chance Qualifier, earnt his first CrossFit Games ticket with his second place finish this weekend, ahead of veterans such as Mayer and Kwant.
The 24-year-old secured five top 10 finishes (including an event win) and a 12th place finish. He was the only man to finish the 2014 Regional’s IE5, with legless rope climbs and sprints, in under 3 minutes.
Alex Gazan was on the line between securing her first CrossFit Games ticket and earning a Last-Chance Qualifier invite all weekend long. The 20-year-old bested the competition by winning the last workout and being the only woman to complete the legless rope climbs and sprints in under 4 minutes.
Gazan participated in Semifinals for the first time last year, competing at the West Coast Classic and finishing 16th. This weekend, the Underdogs Athletics athlete secured three top 3 finishes (including the event win), her worst placement standing at 11th.
Unbroken
The first workout, Heavy Handstand Reverse Fran, included exciting finishes from both the men’s and women’s fields, with some no-reps making for a thrilling race.
The workout was:
For Time
9-15-21
- Barbell Thrusters (115, 80lb)
- Yard Handstand Walk
Time Cap: 6 Minutes
Both O’Brien and Paulson went unbroken in all their reps and sets.
Semifinals coming up
June 10-12 will be the last weekend of this year’s Semifinals with three events taking place all around the world.
In London, Strength in Depth will establish 5 men, women, and teams to qualify for the Games from Europe. So will the Atlas Games in Québec for athletes in the North America region.
In Vitória, Brazil, the top 2 men, women, and teams from the Copa Sur will advance to the Games.
The leaderboard for the Masters (50+) divisions and Adaptive divisions will be finalised by Sunday, June 12 and determine the 10 and 5 athletes respectively to qualify for the Games.
Image Sources
- Granite Games podium women: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
- Granite Games podium men: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.