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2024 CrossFit Games Europe Semifinals Day 1 Recap: Uldis Upenieks and Gabi Migała Lead in Lyon

May 17, 2024 by Austin Heaton

The 2024 CrossFit Games Semifinals have officially begun, and with only one event down in Europe, we have already seen a handful of big surprises. (You can check out the leaderboard here.)

  • Worth noting: Athletes took on only one event on the first day, with five more remaining for the weekend. They are nearly 20 percent of the way through the competition, and those toward the bottom of the leaderboard can’t afford any more poor finishes.

With that being said, here’s a quick look at what happened on day one in Europe.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CrossFit Games (@crossfitgames)

[Related: 2024 CrossFit Games Worldwide Rankings and Strength of Field, Explained]

Men’s Division

At the top: The Conditioning King, Uldis Upenieks of Latvia, took Event One, edging out last year’s European champion Lazar Ðukić. 

  • These two will likely be battling it out all weekend. Upenieks finished sixth in the semifinals last year, five spots below Ðukić.

A strong start for Serbia: Serbian athletes Lazar Ðukić (second), Luka Vunjak (third), and Luka Ðukić (fourth) all sit in the top five at the end of day one.

  • Lazar’s position is no surprise, but his brother Luka is fighting for a return trip to the Games, having last earned a ticket to the big show in 2021.
  • And let’s not forget Vunjak, one of our young guns to watch this weekend. 
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CrossFit Games (@crossfitgames)

[Related: Powerbuilding Workout Routine]

Veterans find trouble early: Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson (16th), Moritz Fiebig (19th), Jonne Koski (34th), and Bronisław Olenkowicz (40th) all sit far outside a qualifying position to begin the weekend. 

  • Koski came in as the favorite, winning both the worldwide Open and worldwide Quarterfinals this season.

Dark horse danger: Games rookie hopeful Victor Hoffer (30th) started much lower than expected and needs an immediate strong comeback to have a chance.

One cool stat: Only four total athletes worldwide completed Event One under 21:00 in week one of Semifinals. They happen to be the top four men on the Europe leaderboard – Upenieks, Vunjak, and the Ðukić brothers.

Women’s Division

Repeat on tap? The 2023 European Semifinal champion, Gabi Migała, picks up where she left off and sits in the lead after winning Event One.

  • Trailing early, the Polish powerhouse came back to eke out the victory.

Every (hundredth of a) second counts: Only .02 seconds separated Gabi Migała from Aimee Cringle in Event One.

  • It was almost too close to call, given there was no foot race to a finish line, but Migala took the “W” and 100 points that went with it. Cringle will come into the second day trailing by three points.

A British affair: British athletes Aimee Cringle (second), Ella Wilkinson (fourth), and Jennifer Muir (fifth) all sit in the top five after Event One.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aimee ♡︎ (@aimee_cringle)

[Related: Semifinals Spotlight: Europe’s Rising Star, Colin Bosshard, Eyes CrossFit Games]

  • While Cringle is the most well-known of the bunch, having competed at Semifinals every year since 2021, Wilkinson competed at the Strength in Depth Semifinal in 2022, and Jennifer Muir took 15th at the Europe Semifinal last season, just missing a Games spot by a few places.

Calm and comfortable: 2023 Games champion Laura Horvath currently sits in seventh place overall. Only six seconds separated her from a fifth-place finish.

  • Sitting 18 points off the lead and comfortably in a qualifying position for the Games, it’s safe to say the reigning Fittest Woman on Earth is exactly where she wants to be. 

Veterans in danger: Games veterans Manon Angonese (18th), Elisa Fuliano (20th), and Thuri Helgadottir (29th) all need to make some big moves on Saturday to survive. None can afford another bad finish.

One cool stat: Four total women finished Event One Under 22:00, and they sit at the top of the leaderboard in Europe — Migała, Cringle, Tall, Wilkinson.

Be sure to check back in tomorrow for more updates!

Featured image: @crossfitgames / Instagram

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