What You Need to Know About the 2020 CrossFit Games Finalists
Editors Note: The 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games are live. Check out the latest results and scores from the Games here.
This year’s CrossFit Games Finals are historic. With the world in a state of disarray, athletes still competed virtually during Stage One of the Games to qualify for the Finals, which occur in Aromas, CA, from Oct. 23-25, 2020. Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey also had record-setting performances as the reigning champions left everyone to compete for second place.
In Stage One, 30 men and 30 women completed seven events over two days. By the end, only five men and five women qualified for the Games Finals. Here’s a breakdown of each of the athletes competing this year.
The 2020 CrossFit Games Finalists — Men
Here’s the full list of men competing in this year’s CrossFit Games Finals. Reigning champ Mat Fraser asserted his dominance and led the pack, but there are still four other worthy contenders all looking to steal his title.
Mathew Fraser
Age: 30
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 195 pounds
Country: United States
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2014-2015, second place; 2016-2019, first place.
Even though no one is surprised by Fraser’s Stage One performance, it was still shocking. He beat the runner-up by 168 points, winning four of the seven events and setting a record for most Games events won with 19. Most impressive was when Fraser completed three rounds of 21 barbell thrusters and 21 chest-to-bar pull-ups in 3:08.
Noah Ohlsen
Age: 29
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 190 pounds
Country: United States
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2014-2015, eighth place; 2016, 15th place; 2017, fourth place; 2018 sixth place; 2019, second place.
If Ohlsen was anything during Stage One of the Games, it was consistent. He finished in the top five during three events and won the handstand hold for time, beating out Fraser by just two seconds.
Justin Medeiros
Age: 21
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 190 pounds
Country: United States
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: None.
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As the youngest male competitor at the 2020 Games, Justin Medeiros proved that he has what it takes to hang with CrossFit veterans. He managed a second-place finish in Nasty Nancy behind Fraser and posted two top-five finishes. Medieros front-squatted 437 pounds in day one and then ended day two with a fourth-place finish in Awful Annie. Even if the Finals don’t go his way, Medeiros has already impressed fans and fellow competitors.
Samuel Kwant
Age: 24
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 200 pounds
Country: United States
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2016, 16th place; 2017, 20th place; 2019, 13th place.
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Kwant sat beneath the surface of the top five for most of Stage One. That said, he place in the top five of two events — third-place in the 1,000-meter row on an erg for time and the handstand hold — which was enough for the American to earn a trip to the Ranch. As an experienced Games athlete with three appearances, it wouldn’t be wise to count Kwant out.
Jeffrey Adler
Age: 26
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 197 pounds
Country: Canada
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2019, 33rd place.
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It seemed like Adler came out of nowhere to snag fifth place. The Canadian placed in the top 10 for four of the seven events and secured his Finals spot by just two points over American Chandler Smith. If his top-five win proves anything, it’s that Adler is resilient and mentally strong enough to stay competitive throughout a competition.
The 2020 CrossFit Games Finalists — Women
Reigning CrossFit Games champ Tia-Clair Toomey and American Brooke Wells handily secured their spots to The Ranch. Still, the other three women all have a legitimate shot at dethroning Toomey. Here’s who the Australian native needs to watch out for.
Tia-Clair Toomey
Age: 27
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 128 pounds
Country: Australia
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2015-2016, second place; 2017-2019, first place.
Toomey became the first Games athlete — male or female — to win three events in a row. On day one, Toomey won Friendly Fran, the one-rep max front squat event, and Damn Diane to secure a strong lead. Despite Brooke wells closing in on her in the second half of Stage One, Toomey won by 35 points.
Brooke Wells
Age: 25
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 150 pounds
Country: United States
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2015, 16th place; 2016, sixth place; 2017, 14th place; 2018, eigth place; 2019, 15th place.
Brooke Wells was within 25 points of Toomey by the end of Stage One — and that’s saying something. The 25-year-old placed in the top five for five of the seven events, three of those were top-three finishes — Friendly Fran, Damn Diane, and Awful Annie.
Haley Adams
Age: 19
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 140 pounds
Country: United States
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2016, second place (Teenage Girls 14-15); 2017, second place (Girls 16-17); 2018, first place (Girls 16-17); 2019, sixth place.
She may be the youngest athlete in this year’s CrossFit Games — but Haley Adams is not inexperienced. The 19-year old has made three appearances in the Games before in the Teenage and Girls divisions. She showed incredible composure throughout the two-day event by racking up four top-five finishes to earn a spot in the Finals ahead of Katrin Davíðsdóttir and Kari Pearce, two very seasoned competitors.
Katrín Davíðsdóttir
Age: 27
Height: 5’5”
Weight: 150 pounds
Country: Iceland
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2012, 30th place; 2013, 24th place; 2015-2016, first place; 2017, fifth place; 2018, third place; 2019, fourth place.
A two-time Games winner Katrín Davíðsdóttir brings a wealth of experience to the competition. She’s not even 30, and the Icelandic native has competed in seven — seven! — CrossFit Games competitions (placing out of the top five just twice). Her experience was on full display during the handstand hold, where Davíðsdóttir strategically performed a split-legged handstand to lower her center of gravity for better balance. It worked, as she bested the runner-up, Kari Pearce, by 41 seconds. She also clocked the longest hold in the event. Now, the question is: How will this crafty vet fair in the top five this year?
Kari Pearce
Age: 31
Height: 5’3”
Weight: 139 pounds
Country: United States
Individual CrossFit Games Appearances: 2015, 21st place; 2016, fifth place; 2017, 10th place; 2018, sixth place; 2019, fifth place.
Pearce secured her ticket to Aromas, CA, by two points over Norway’s Kristin Holte. The three-time Fittest American Female and former collegiate gymnast locked in her fifth-place finish with an impressive 2:13 handstand hold for second place and a fourth-place finish in Damn Diane.
Don’t Miss the 2020 CrossFit Games Finals
The Finals kick-off on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2020, and will be held over the course of three days. For more information on the Finals, refer to our guide on how to watch the 2020 CrossFit Games Finals. And be sure to follow our results and leaderboard to stay up to date after every event.
Feature image courtesy of Justin Medeiros’ Instagram page @justin_medeiros34 /photo by Toki Photography