On May 5, 2022, CrossFit GM of Sport Justin Bergh and Director of Competition Adrian Bozman held a virtual press conference alongside three CrossFit Quarterfinals continental winners — Malloy O’Brien (North America), Guilherme Malheiros (South America), and Gabriela Migała (Europe). Press in attendance were allowed to ask the three elite CrossFitters about their plans for the rest of the season. Bergh and Bozman fielded questions regarding the video reviews during the Quarterfinals and improvements for virtual contests going forward.
Towards the end of the conference, Bergh confirmed that the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games would remain in Madison, WI. The venue and location in Madison proved a good fit for the 2021 Games, will be the home for the 2022 Games and will remain the home of the Games for at least one more season.
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One of the main questions aimed at O’Brien, Migała, and Malheiros was what their goals are for the rest of the 2022 CrossFit Season, with the Semifinals fast approaching and the 2022 CrossFit Games still to come on Aug. 3-7, 2022. O’Brien and Migała had similar answers, stating that they are focused on their training to improve upon their finishes from the 2021 Games. O’Brien ranked seventh overall last year, earning the Rookie of the Year title, while Migała ranked sixth overall — her best Games finish to date.
Malheiros finished seventh overall at the 2021 CrossFit Games, including three event wins highlighted by his masterclass in Event 12, the max snatch. Like O’Brien and Migała, Malheiros also aims to improve upon his previous Games finish but was more specific, stating that his goal is to become the Fittest Man on Earth®, dethroning the reigning champion Justin Medeiros.
Those who successfully advanced to one of the 10 Semifinal contests will finally compete against other athletes live, in person. All three athletes in the press conference remarked how much different competition feels when performed in-person versus online, as is the case in the Open and Quarterfinals. We’ll see if O’Brien, Migała, and Malheiros can further the momentum they built from their Quarterfinals wins and convert it into big finishes in the Semifinals and achieve their goals at the 2022 Games.
Featured image: @malobrien_ on Instagram