11 Athletes Looking for a Big Comeback at the 2024 CrossFit Games
Every year, the CrossFit season features a number of inspiring and epic comebacks that keep fans on the edge of their seats.
In 2023, Bethany Flores made her highly anticipated return to the CrossFit Games after sitting out in 2021 due to COVID and missing 2022 after injuring her back.
Katrin Davidsdottir was another athlete who missed qualifying at the 2022 Strength In Depth Semifinal but returned in 2023 to take seventh place at the Games.
This year’s Games roster features plenty of comeback athletes who are primed to create moments that will go down in history. Here are the ones to keep an eye on.
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The Women’s Field
Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr
After taking home the title of Fittest on Earth for the sixth time in 2022, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr announced she and her husband, Shane Orr, were expecting their first child.
- She took the 2023 season off for her pregnancy and childbirth, then returned to competition for the 2023 Rogue Invitational, where she took second place.
She won the 2024 Syndicate Crown and is most fans’ pick for the top of the Games podium this August.
Brooke Wells
While competing at the North America East Semifinal last spring, Wells battled a foot injury that caused her to finish the weekend outside of contention for the Games.
- Her twin sister, Sydney, however, qualified and competed in Madison.
This year, the two have swapped spots, as Brooke took seventh at the Syndicate Crown, and Sydney did not qualify to compete due to Quarterfinals penalties.
- It’s worth noting that this is Wells’ second “comeback,” as she also returned to the 2022 Games after a devastating elbow injury at the 2021 Games. That journey was the subject of her book, Resilient.
Haley Adams
To the surprise and heartbreak of many, Haley Adams sat the 2023 season out, citing personal health reasons.
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Her announcement to return this year and subsequent comeback at Semifinals has been one of the biggest storylines of the season, with fans worldwide backing the young athlete.
Jacqueline Dahlstrom
After three CrossFit Games appearances, Dahlstrom fell just out of a qualifying spot last year at the European Semifinal.
At the French Throwdown this Spring, Dahlstrom found redemption and snagged a 10th-place finish,
Dani Speegle
Following multiple Games appearances, Dani Speegle fell just out of qualifying at the 2023 North America West Semifinal.
- She continued to compete through the season, finishing ninth at the 2023 Rogue Invitational and 19th at TYR Wodapalooza in January this year.
At the 2024 West Coast Classic this last May, Speegle took sixth place, earning her fifth ticket to the CrossFit Games.
Seungyeon Choi
Choi sat out of the 2023 season due to a shoulder injury. However, last May, the Korean athlete took second at the Far East Throwdown and will return to the Games for the third time.
Julia Kato
After her rookie appearance at the CrossFit Games in 2022, Julia Kato missed qualifying at the 2023 Copa Sur, placing seventh. This year, though, she took second, earning her a ticket to Texas.
The Men’s Field
Ricky Garard
A mountain bike crash last year resulted in a shoulder injury, knocking Garard out of Games contention in 2023.
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- Once recovered, however, Garard had a full off-season, competing at the Rogue Invitational and Dubai Fitness Championship. He also won TYR Wodapalooza as an individual and competed on a team there.
Garard won the Torian Pro in May and is headed to the Games for the third time.
Guilherme Malheiros
Fan favorite Malheiros broke some hearts last year as the young Brazilian athlete missed out on qualifying by one spot after three appearances at the CrossFit Games as an individual and once as a teen in 2017.
Guilherme found redemption at the Copa Sur by taking the win overall and setting the worldwide record in the Event 5 snatch ladder.
Saxon Panchik
In 2023, Saxon missed qualifying for the Games due to a foot injury he suffered in Event 2 at the North America East Semifinal.
- However, similar to the Wells sisters, Saxon did not compete in Madison, while his brother Spencer did.
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While Saxon qualified by taking seventh at the Syndicate Crown this year, his brother took 20th and did not qualify.
Travis Mayer
In January of 2023, Mayer suffered a hand injury while competing at TYR Wodapalooza, cutting his season short.
- Once recovered, like Ricky Garard, Mayer had an entire off-season, competing at the Madrid Championship, the Rogue Invitational, the Dubai Fitness Championship, and on a team at TYR Wodapalooza.
This will be Mayer’s ninth trip to the Games.
A Few More
Two athletes, Australia’s Maddie Sturt and Luka Djukic, are headed back to the Games after a multi-year absence.
- After four consecutive appearances at the Games, beginning in 2016, Sturt barely missed qualifying in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Her return to the Games is one many of us have been waiting for quite some time.
- After his rookie appearance at the Games in 2021, Djukic competed in the 2022 and 2023 Semifinals but was unable to qualify. This year he will accompany his brother, Lazar, on the competition floor in Fort Worth.
In the team division, Lauren Fisher, Khan Porter, James Newberry, Elliot Simmonds, and Kara Saunders all return to the Games after a year or more absence. Fisher, Porter, and Saunders all competed in 2022, while Newbury and Simmonds haven’t been to the Games since 2019, both as individuals.
More From the Morning Chalk Up
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- CrossFit Games Rookie Spotlight: Austin Hatfield – Elite CrossFit Athlete by Day, Rabbit Farmer by Night
- Reps Ahead Pro 3 “Redemption” Results: Sydney Wells, James Sprague, and Kyra Milligan Deliver Knockouts
Featured image: Sara Ines Chew