2020 CrossFit Games Age Group Preview: Men and Women Ages 35-39

Over the next four weeks we will preview the 2020 CrossFit Games Age Group divisions as it stands currently. These standings are unofficial after the Age Group Online Qualifier (AGOQ) scores were submitted and could change due to score adjustments as the top-25 athletes in each division must submit videos to CrossFit HQ for review.  The video review period concludes on April 13 with the top ten athletes in each division receiving an invitation to the Games.

Chad Schroeder dives into the numbers of the AGOQ even more, breaking down all the divisions with his statistical analysis.

Men’s 35-39 division: The men’s division features a mix of division rookies and veterans. Six of the athletes have competed in the division in past years including the returning, defending champion. The field also has an international flavor as six of the ten athletes are from outside the United States.

1. Ryan Elrod is in a position to make his first appearance at the Games. The two-time Regional athlete received an invite in 2017 when he placed fifth in the Atlantic Regional. However, he failed a drug test after taking a prescription fertility medication that was on the banned list, receiving a two year suspension which concluded before the 2020 Open. He was one of two athletes in the division who won two AGOQ workouts this year. He finished in the top-ten in five of the six workouts to win the AGOQ by two points. Elrod will be one of the favorites as he won the Masters 35-39 title at Wodapalooza in February. At Wodapalooza he recorded six top-five finishes in seven events including two event wins.
2. Nicholas Urankar is the defending division champion after dominating in his first year competing as a Masters athlete. He won three events last year enroute to a 50-point victory. The three-time individual Games athlete, finished just two points behind Elrod for the top spot in the AGOQ after winning it in 2019. Urankar won two events in this year’s AGOQ and finished second in two others.
3. Dustin McWilliams returns to the Games after a two-year hiatus. In 2017 he made his Games debut in the division, finishing fourth. He recorded three top-ten finishes in the AGOQ with his best finish being third.
4. Tiziano Corriga will make his Games debut after a fourth-place finish. The Italian recorded two top-ten finishes in the AGOQ with his best finish being third.
5. Rolo Gomez will represent his home country Uruguay in his first Games appearance after finishing fifth in the AGOQ. Gomez competed on a team at the 2018 Latin America Regional. This year he recorded three top-ten finishes including a third place finish in the opening event.
6. Michael Laverriere will make his third consecutive Games appearance in the division. Last year he placed fifth, a huge improvement on his 15th place showing in 2018. At the 2019 Games, the Canadian ended his weekend strong with two runner-up finishes and a third place.
7. Rodrigo Valenzuela will make his very first Games appearance in his first year of eligibility in the division. One of the top athletes in Argentina, Valenzuela is a multiple Latin America Regional athlete placing as high as fourth as an individual in 2013.
8. Erast Palkin will make his third appearance at the Games. The Russian competed in the division in 2018, finishing third after an eighth place finish in 2017. In the AGOQ he recorded four top-ten finishes including an event win in the max clean and jerk event with a lift of 375 lbs.
9. Kevin Jones returns to Madison to compete in the division after coming up short in the AGOQ last year. In 2018 he placed 18th in his Games debut. Jones competed at the 2014 Central East Regional as an individual.
10. Ryan Woodall also makes his return to the Games after coming up short last year. A multiple Regional athlete on a team, the native of Australia competed at the 2017 Games with Injustice CrossFit. In 2018 he competed in the division, finishing 19th.

Outside looking in: Kyle Kasperbauer, James St. Leger, Konstantino Papadopoulos, Stas Solodov and Dusty Sulon are the next five athletes outside the cutline. Kasperbauer is the most accomplished of the group having won the division in both 2017 and 2018. He sits just one point out of the tenth and final spot for the Games invitation.

Women’s 35-39 division: The women’s division is stacked with recent individual Games athletes with five holding that distinction.

1. Susana Etto took the top spot in the AGOQ by showing consistency across all six workouts, with her worst finish being 12th place. She returns to Madison in a division she made her Games debut at last year when she placed seventh.
2. Kelley Jackson came up one spot short from making her Masters debut last year, her first year of eligibility. The veteran has made three Games appearances including two as an individual. She last competed at the Games in 2016 as a member of CrossFit 417. This year she finished 67th in the Open before finishing second in the AGOQ. Jackson recorded four top-ten finishes including an event win.
3. Rebecca Voigt Miller will appear at the Games for the 13th consecutive time after finishing third in the AGOQ. She has ten individual Games appearances and now three in the Masters division. Voigt Miller just missed out on making it 11 individual Games appearances when she placed fifth at the Mayhem Classic, just one spot out of the Games invitation spot. She placed 51st in this year’s Open.
4. Jessica Core has made numerous Games appearances as a member of CrossFit Fort Vancouver. In 2017 she podiumed, helping the team to a third place finish. In 2015 she competed at the Games as an individual after earning her invitation by finishing third  at the West Regional. She will be making her first appearance in the division.
5. Anastasiya Ganina made her first Games appearance last year, earning her invitation after claiming the national champion title for Russia, placing 51st overall. She recorded three top-ten finishes in the AGOQ including finishing second in event four.
6. Briana Gaipa will make her Games debut after finishing in the top-ten in three events in the AGOQ. She is a four-time Regional veteran including three appearances as an individual.
7. Jimena Delamer makes her second Game appearance in the division. The Argentinian competed in 2018, finishing 12th overall. The two-time Latin America Regional athlete had three top-ten finishes in the AGOQ including an event win in the max clean and jerk with a lift of 247 lbs.
8. Hope Cicero just missed out on a podium spot in the division last year, finishing fourth. Before that her prior Games experience was competing with CrossFit Billings in 2018, helping the team to a 15th place finish.
9. Janine Shillington also makes her second return to the Games after a year away. In 2018 she made her debut in the division, finishing 19th. A veteran of multiple Regional appearances as both an individual and on a team, the Candian placed 150th in the Open this year. She won the final event of the AGOQ to secure herself a top-ten finish.
10. Anna Tobias is the division’s two-time defending champion and secured her eighth trip to the Games with a tenth place finish in the AGOQ. The five-time Games individual qualifier is also an Olympian who earned gold in sailing at the 2008 Olympics.

Outside looking in: Dionne Gutierrez, Delaina Snider, Rachel Green, April Payne and Hilary Niewald are the next five under the cutline. All but Snider are looking for their first trip to the Games.