The seventh Sanctional of this young CrossFit season shifts the focus across the Atlantic to Norway where the Norwegian CrossFit Championship is set to take place February 14-16. The prize on the line? Victory, some prize money, and/or a qualification spot for the 2020 CrossFit Games. The best part? You can keep up with the action as it happens.
[Related: Find out how to watch the 2020 Norwegian CrossFit Championship!]
As for what you’ll be watching, here’s what you need to know about the action that lies ahead in Gol, Norway.
Norwegian CrossFit Championship Men’s Field
Roman Khrennikov is one of first names to jump out when you look at this lineup. He’s coming off a 10th place overall finish in the Open and he won the Russian National Championship. While that means the qualification for this event would still be available if he won, he has to be an early favorite to be on top of the podium.
Another man who is expected to be in the mix is Khan Porter. The five-time Games athlete from Australia must not be overlooked. Neither should two-time Games competitor Simon Mantyla who is in this lineup as well.
Of course the home country favorite will be Nicolay Billaudel. He’ll likely have the crowd on his side which can always be a mental boost which may increase his physical performance.
Women’s Field
As for the ladies’ side of the field, Gabriela Migala has her qualification in the bag thanks to winning Poland’s national championship. But winning a Sanctional is still a great thing as the Games approach so she will still be on her “A” game.
Jacqueline Dahlstrom is another athlete to watch because she has won multiple Sanctionals since they have started. This will be a home game for her and she didn’t have a successful Open so she will be looking to make a big statement.
A dark horse to watch would be Bailey Meraviglia from the USA. While she has been to the Games with teams, she will be looking to earn her first qualification as an individual. With a few of the competitors in this lineup like Migala, Andrea Solberg, and Lisa Eble already having qualifications clinched, she only has to be the top finisher not yet qualified to make her goal a reality.
Teams
There is no American team in this contest. One of the two teams that is expected to be in the mix by the end of the weekend is The Athlete Program. This team features Carolyn Prevost who finished 12th at the Games in 2019. The other group with a Top 20 finisher at the Games is “The Progrm” who has Joshua Wichtrup. He was 18th in Madison and was last year’s German National Champion.
Featured Image: Instagram/norwegiancrossfitchampionship of Khan Porter.
