For one Games veteran, it was the end of an era. For another, the beginning of a new family.
After nine consecutive years competing at the CrossFit Games, Rebecca Voigt came up short in qualifying, finishing in 8th place in the highly competitive California Super Regional. While Voigt’s streak came to an end, Games veteran and podium finisher Valerie Voboril made what some would consider a surprise return after sitting out the 2016 Regional competition.
On the men’s side, Josh Bridges defended his Regional title in convincing fashion.
2016 Reebok CrossFit Games athlete Christian Lucero — who looked strong for the first half of the weekend and was in qualifying position — appeared to injure his pec on Event 5 and was forced to withdraw from the competition.
But what drew more attention at the venue than Lucero’s withdrawal and Bridges’ consistent performance was 4th place finisher Julian Alcaraz’s decision to decline his Reebok CrossFit Games invite.
Alcaraz and Games veteran Miranda Oldroyd are expecting their first child in August, and with the new, later Games dates possibly overlapping with their son’s delivery, Alcaraz didn’t want to leave conflicts to chance. It was an admirable moment of poise and prioritization in a highly competitive athletic climate. Congratulations to Alcaraz, Oldroyd, and their soon-to-arrive new addition!
[We’ve embedded a video of Alcaraz declining his invite at the bottom of this article. It’s a touching moment for everyone involved.]
And for the second consecutive year, siblings Garret and Lauren Fisher each qualified as Individual competitors out of the same region.
The full list of qualifiers for Women, Men, and Teams is below.
Women:
1. Chyna Cho
2. Kirsten Pedri
3. Alessandra Pichelli
4. Valerie Voboril
5. Lauren Fisher
Men:
1. Josh Bridges
2. Garret Fisher
3. Jason Carroll
4. Julian Alcaraz (declined)
5. Jeff Patzer
6. Wesley Rethwill
Teams:
1. NorCal
2. Invictus
3. Endgame Athletics
4. Bear Republic CrossFit
5. CrossFit ASAP
Featured image: The CrossFit Games on Facebook
