Every year, the Reebok CrossFit Games claim to crown the Fittest Man and Woman on Earth—a bold statement, to say the least. But it’s hard to imagine a more comprehensive test of strength, conditioning, and mental fortitude than the four-day, 14-event slugfest that kicked off on Thursday, August 2 and ended Sunday, August 5.
For this year’s CrossFit Games, where 40 men, 40 women, and 40 teams descended on Madison, WI to take part in a grueling lineup of events that was kept mostly secret until just before the Games—and often just before the events themselves—began. Put some of the world’s most well-rounded athletes through some of the most grit-testing athletic endeavors imaginable, and you’ve got an exciting long weekend.
On the following slides, we’ve rounded up the ten most impressive moments from the 2018 CrossFit Games.
The Top 10 Highlights of the 2018 CrossFit Games
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Royce Dunne Outlifts the Field
Dunne came in hot on Wednesday, which infamous CrossFit Games director Dave Castro described as “the most challenging first day in CrossFit Games history.” After finishing the closed-course bike race and 30 ring muscle-ups, Dunne back squatted 470 pounds, shoulder pressed 220 pounds, and deadlifted 565 pounds, giving him a total of 1,255 pounds and an event win on the CrossFit Total—the sum of an athlete’s squat, shoulder press, and deadlift.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Lukas Esslinger Rows a Marathon—Literally
Esslinger wasn’t far behind Dunne in the CrossFit Total. His combined score was 1,245 pounds, just ten short of the winner’s—yet the three-time Games athlete was still able to generate momentum for the final event of the day: the 42,195-meter marathon row. Esslinger clocked in at 2:43:50, well below the four-hour time cap and the winner overall.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Kristi Eramo Gives a Clinic in Muscle-Ups
Some of the most exciting events are the simplest, like 30 ring muscle-ups as fast as possible. Eramo didn’t do the most unbroken—that honor went to Tia-Clair Toomey, who won her second consecutive Games this year—but she did finish the workload before any other woman in a blistering two minutes and 32 seconds.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Cody Anderson Handstand Walks to Victory
Speaking of gymnastics, Anderson was nearly flawless in the way he maneuvered through the handstand obstacle course. In addition to the stairs and ramps that debuted earlier in the season, there was a new apparatus for the athletes to conquer: parallettes. Unlike many of the other competitors, Anderson traversed it in his first attempt and earned an event win.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Katrin Davidsdottir Is the Eye of the Storm
Dave Castro, the mastermind behind the Games, often keeps his events secret until the day of competition. But for the first time ever, he asked his athletes to start competing without knowing how many reps they would complete of each movement. On top of adding an unexpected psychological challenge, the event, named Chaos, was also a brutal leg-buster featuring single-arm overhead squats into pistol squats into 36-inch box jumps. Davidsdottir finished 23 seconds before the next competitor.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Urankar Destroys the Clean and Jerk Ladder
The “ladder” events are the homerun derby of the CrossFit Games—quick, powerful, and awe-inspiring—and this year’s clean and jerk ladder was no exception. The men started with 245 pounds and, over the course of three rounds and 15 lifts, eventually finished at 345. No one was able to get the weight up as quickly as Urankar.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Tia-Clair Toomey Runs, Swims, and Paddles to Victory
Australians often have years of experience on the water before they start competing in CrossFit, so they’re known as the “water dogs” of the Games. Tia-Clair is no exception. Last year, she won the run, swim, run event. This year, she took first in the swim, paddle, run event, edging out the second-place finisher by five seconds and the third-place competitors by almost two minutes.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Tola Morakinyo Snatches 315
On the team competition side, Tola Morakinyo of CrossFit Invictus Back Bay put up a stunning 315-pound snatch during the fourth event. In just four minutes, Morakinyo built to the weight, leaving him some time to attempt 335 pounds, which he just barely missed.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Pat Vellner Takes a Tumble
While overall winner Mat Fraser was climbing down the cargo net on the obstacle course, he fell—but was saved when his foot caught in the net. Vellner wasn’t so lucky. A few seconds after Fraser’s trip up, Vellner slipped and plummeted directly into the ground. Though he said the fall “rang his bell,” he recovered and placed second overall.
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Photo Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
Mat Fraser Defends His Title
For the third year in a row, Matt Fraser is the Fittest Man on Earth. Though this year’s margin of victory was less than last year’s, he had still won the competition before the final event began. Fraser placed in the top five for ten of the 14 events at the Games, solidifying the start of what will likely be a dynasty.
Dunne came in hot on Wednesday, which infamous CrossFit Games director Dave Castro described as “the most challenging first day in CrossFit Games history.” After finishing the closed-course bike race and 30 ring muscle-ups, Dunne back squatted 470 pounds, shoulder pressed 220 pounds, and deadlifted 565 pounds, giving him a total of 1,255 pounds and an event win on the CrossFit Total—the sum of an athlete’s squat, shoulder press, and deadlift.
Lukas Esslinger Rows a Marathon—Literally
Esslinger wasn’t far behind Dunne in the CrossFit Total. His combined score was 1,245 pounds, just ten short of the winner’s—yet the three-time Games athlete was still able to generate momentum for the final event of the day: the 42,195-meter marathon row. Esslinger clocked in at 2:43:50, well below the four-hour time cap and the winner overall.
Kristi Eramo Gives a Clinic in Muscle-Ups
Some of the most exciting events are the simplest, like 30 ring muscle-ups as fast as possible. Eramo didn’t do the most unbroken—that honor went to Tia-Clair Toomey, who won her second consecutive Games this year—but she did finish the workload before any other woman in a blistering two minutes and 32 seconds.
Cody Anderson Handstand Walks to Victory
Speaking of gymnastics, Anderson was nearly flawless in the way he maneuvered through the handstand obstacle course. In addition to the stairs and ramps that debuted earlier in the season, there was a new apparatus for the athletes to conquer: parallettes. Unlike many of the other competitors, Anderson traversed it in his first attempt and earned an event win.
Katrin Davidsdottir Is the Eye of the Storm
Dave Castro, the mastermind behind the Games, often keeps his events secret until the day of competition. But for the first time ever, he asked his athletes to start competing without knowing how many reps they would complete of each movement. On top of adding an unexpected psychological challenge, the event, named Chaos, was also a brutal leg-buster featuring single-arm overhead squats into pistol squats into 36-inch box jumps. Davidsdottir finished 23 seconds before the next competitor.
Urankar Destroys the Clean and Jerk Ladder
The “ladder” events are the homerun derby of the CrossFit Games—quick, powerful, and awe-inspiring—and this year’s clean and jerk ladder was no exception. The men started with 245 pounds and, over the course of three rounds and 15 lifts, eventually finished at 345. No one was able to get the weight up as quickly as Urankar.
Tia-Clair Toomey Runs, Swims, and Paddles to Victory
Australians often have years of experience on the water before they start competing in CrossFit, so they’re known as the “water dogs” of the Games. Tia-Clair is no exception. Last year, she won the run, swim, run event. This year, she took first in the swim, paddle, run event, edging out the second-place finisher by five seconds and the third-place competitors by almost two minutes.
Tola Morakinyo Snatches 315
On the team competition side, Tola Morakinyo of CrossFit Invictus Back Bay put up a stunning 315-pound snatch during the fourth event. In just four minutes, Morakinyo built to the weight, leaving him some time to attempt 335 pounds, which he just barely missed.
Pat Vellner Takes a Tumble
While overall winner Mat Fraser was climbing down the cargo net on the obstacle course, he fell—but was saved when his foot caught in the net. Vellner wasn’t so lucky. A few seconds after Fraser’s trip up, Vellner slipped and plummeted directly into the ground. Though he said the fall “rang his bell,” he recovered and placed second overall.
Mat Fraser Defends His Title
For the third year in a row, Matt Fraser is the Fittest Man on Earth. Though this year’s margin of victory was less than last year’s, he had still won the competition before the final event began. Fraser placed in the top five for ten of the 14 events at the Games, solidifying the start of what will likely be a dynasty.
