The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games are taking place from Tuesday, August 1, to Sunday, August 6, in Madison, WI. The Age Group and Adaptive divisions began on Aug. 1 and concluded on Aug. 3. Meanwhile, the Team Division began on Aug. 3 will crown the champions on Sunday, Aug. 6.
With the retirement of Team Captain Rich Froning Jr., five-time CrossFit Games Team champions (2015-16, 2018, 2021-22) CrossFit Mayhem Freedom will not be competing this year. At the end of the 2023 contest, the sport will see a new team crowned as a potentially dominant force.
Both the Team and Individual divisions featured a two-tier cut to pare down the finalists. After the workouts on Friday, August 4, only the top 30 Teams and Individual competitors continued on to Saturday. After Saturday’s workouts, only the top 20 Teams continued vying for the title. Uniquely, due to the timing of several teams’ withdrawals, only 27 teams completed day three of competition and advanced to the final day.
Withdrawals: CrossFit Invictus Unconquerable, CrossFit CLT The Grit Haus, CrossFit Torian Mayhem, and CrossFit Believe.
The final day of the 2023 CrossFit Games will be a race to determine a new Teams champion. As the leaderboard stands after three days of competition, CrossFit Invictus holds a strong, but not insurmountable, lead over both CrossFit Oslo Navy Blue and CrossFit East Nashville PRVN.
After two final events, the winners will be determined from the top 20 teams.
The initial event of the Games final day features a return of Bob, the 1,188-pound behemoth of a sled, as part of a series of movements. With a 25-minute time cap, teams will perform four rounds for time: 500-meter run, jerry carry, log traverse, synchronized Bob pull.
This event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CST.
In true CrossFit Games style, details of the final event have not yet been revealed. The surprise is likely keeping athletes physically, and mentally, on edge.
This event is scheduled to begin at 2:15 p.m. CST.
After the first round of cuts, only 27 teams remain on the field. At the end of the day’s events, 10 more teams will be eliminated from competition and only 20 will advance to the final day.
With the 2023 CrossFit Games just past the halfway point, teams are likely feeling the pressure to perform more than ever. Day three offers four events and plenty of opportunity to secure valuable points for advancement on the leaderboard.
The third day began with a unique pairing of events that split teams into pairs while complete two events back-to-back. The Run Lift Relay was performed by one male-female pair from each team while the remaining pair completed the Lift Run Relay.
For the first event, one male and female member from each team raced a three-minute clock to perform a 400-meter shuttle run followed by snatches for as many reps as possible.
After one half of each team performed the Run Lift Relay, the remaining partners tackled the Lift Run Relay. Performed for time, each male and female teammate completed 10 snatches followed by a 400-meter run, within a six-minute time cap.
Day three continued with a serious test of team coordination, communication, and capabilities. Racing for time against an 18-minute time cap, all four members of the team worked in unison to push Bob* across a 126-foot field for time. Teams then performed three rounds of 10 synchronized muscle-ups, 15 clean and jerks using a 340-pound Worm implement, and, a 42-foot push with Bob.
*Note: Bob is an oversized sled weighing 1,188 pounds with built-in pushing stations for each team member.
The fourth event of grueling third day of competition incorporated barbells and parallel bars in a test of upper and lower body strength. Working against a 16-minute time cap, all four athletes performed synchronized axle deadlifts (805-pounds) for 21/15/9 reps. Pairs then broke off — with one pair performing synchronized parallel bar dips (21/21/21), while the other pair completed synchronized sandbag squats (21/15/9), before the pairs switched movements.
This was competitors’ last opportunity to earn points on the leaderboard before the field was cut to 20 teams entering the day four events.
Teams are stepping into the second day of this four-day contest with their initial standings in place on the leaderboard.
The opening event of the second day was a CrossFit-style spin on a traditional Olympic weightlifting total.
Each athlete had a 20-second lifting window to achieve a one-repetition max (1RM) in the snatch followed by a three-minute rest before having 20 seconds to perform a 1RM clean & jerk. Each team member contributed one snatch and one clean & jerk score to create a total team score.
The second event of day two may be familiar to lifters and weekend warriors, alike — a relatively standard 5K run. The Team format required each member to keep one hand holding a single length of rope to ensure that the team runs as a group.
Day two concluded with a test of endurance, stamina, strength, and stability. Athletes competed for time with a 16-minute time cap. The series of exercises involved one teammate performing a 150-calorie Echo bike while another held a handstand, then one teammate completed a 125-calorie row as a teammate held a seated muscle-up and ring support, and finally a 100-calorie bike paired with a handstand hold.
The Team competition kicks off with the first of two events for the opening day. Teams will compete in heats to determine overall placing.
The first event of the contest splits each team into two male/female pairs . Starting every two minutes: each member from one pair will complete 12/9-calorie SkiErg (M/F) and one seated, legless rope climb (M/F). Teams will then perform max-rep synchronized overhead squats.
When two-minute round is up, the first pair stops working and rests as the second pair begins working for the next two-minute round. Each pair will have to work four rounds, for a total of eight rounds (16 minutes) per team, or to a maximum of 175 overhead squats.
This biking event is very likely much more challenging that it appears. With only two bikes per four-person team, athletes must complete as many laps as possible in one hour.
This event is scheduled to begin at 12:10 p.m. CST.
Presuming you’re not attending the Games in Madison, WI, you can watch the 2023 CrossFit Games via the CrossFit app, or online at the CrossFit website (Games.CrossFit.com), YouTube, Facebook, or Twitch. For the first time since 2016, CrossFit coverage can also be found on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+.
The Teams will continue showcasing their skills over the coming days until new champions are crowned. Breaking Muscle will continue delivering the action from Madison right to you. Check back regularly for official results and updated leaderboard standings.
Featured Image: @crossfitgames / Instagram
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