Editors Note: The 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games are live. Check out the latest results and scores from the Games here.
The 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games Finals kick off this weekend, Friday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 25. The top five ranking men and women from Stage One will compete across northern California and “The Ranch” in Aromas for the title of Fittest on Earth® and the first-place prize of $300,000. There will not be spectators for this live in-person event and with only a day to go, all the events have yet to be announced.
What we do know, however, is that this year’s Games will have a new rule in effect that could impact the leaderboard. Dave Castro took to his Instagram page yesterday to share a photo of CrossFit Games head judge Adrian Bozman explaining the new “full effort” rule.
As the name implies, this new rule has been put in place to ensure that all 10 athletes leave it all on the field, even if they’re facing a last-place finish. The athletes will be judged on their effort. If they are deemed to not be giving it their all, then they will receive zero points instead of the minimum fifth-place amount of 15.
Additionally, as the roster is uniquely small this year, there will be no time caps for events. Each athlete is expected to finish all events.
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[Related: Experts and Athletes Predict The 2020 CrossFit Games Finals]
If athletes are judged to not be giving their best effort, they can be awarded 0 points instead of collecting the 15 points they would otherwise earn by finishing fifth.
The news of the “full effort” rule did not seem to phase the athletes who have entered the bubble — a quarantine measure to better ensure the safety of all athletes and CrossFit Games staff. Tia-Clair Toomey in particular doubts that the rule will have an impact on the overall standings.
Tia-Clair Toomey’s Reaction
The reigning three-time Fittest Woman on Earth’s® plans won’t change due to the time-cap change and new scoring rule. Regarding the lack of time caps, she remarked, “Half the time, I don’t even know what the time cap is anyway.”
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[Related: Katrin Davisdottir’s Dramatic Turnaround In The 2020 CrossFit Games]
We’re all prepared for this test so I don’t know if it will be an issue.
We will find out if any athletes in the field will be able to stop Toomey and Fraser’s dominance thus far at the Games. One thing’s for sure with these new rules: we’ll see the absolute best each athlete has to offer.
Feature image from Tia-Clair Toomey’s Instagram page: @tiaclair1
