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2024 CrossFit Games Oceania Semifinal Preview: How To Watch, Rosters, and Schedule

May 21, 2024 by

The 2024 Oceania Semifinal by TorianPro will begin this Friday, May 24, at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia. This event marks the beginning of the second of three weeks of CrossFit Semifinal competitions. The other event this weekend is the North America West Semifinals by West Coast Classic. 

The top 40 men and women individual athletes in the Oceania region will come together down under to fight through six events, and the top four from each division will advance to the 2024 CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, TX. 

Here are the top 10 men and women, ranked by Quarterfinals finish: 

  • 1. Ricky Garard | Madeline Sturt
  • 2. Jay Crouch | Grace Walton
  • 3. Bayley Martin | Katelin Van Zyl 
  • 4. Ben Fowler | Daisy McDonald
  • 5. Zac Thomas | Erika Palatsy 
  • 6. Luke De Jongel | Julia Hannaford
  • 7. Peter Ellis | Jess Green
  • 8. Andrew Sambell | Danielle Ford
  • 9. Bailey O’Brien | Briony Challis
  • 10. Josh Dommersnes | Ella Price

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Women’s Division

The Favorite

Katelin van Zyl: All eyes are on van Zyl on the women’s side of the competition. She came in fourth place during the 2023 Oceania Semifinal behind three athletes who either sat out the 2024 season, switched regions, or moved to the team division. 

Worth noting: Ellie Turner, a three-time Games athlete and winner of the Oceania Semifinal in 2023, is sitting out this season. Games veterans Jamie Simmonds and Kara Saunders and up-and-comer Emily de Rooy chose to go the team route this year. And, of course, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr will compete at North America East next week. 

All of these moves have paved the way for newer, lesser-known Australian athletes to make an impact. 

  • CrossFit bases its Games roster spot allocations per region according to Strength of Field calculations. 
  • According to the CrossFit Games website: “The Strength of Field for the Individual division at each Semifinal was determined by using the 100 highest-ranked athletes who are registered for the Semifinals, providing additional CrossFit Games qualifying spots to some regions.” 
  • Learn more about the Strength of Field and Worldwide Rankings calculations here.

Other Athletes to Watch 

Madeline Sturt: The four-time Games athlete won her region in the 2024 Quarterfinals and has been on a mission to get back to the Games since 2019. 

  • She placed fifth at the Oceania Semifinal last year and seems to have a good chance at a Games spot in 2024, given the added qualification spot. 

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Grace Walton: The 23-year-old Aussie is another one to watch as she tries to make her Games debut. Walton placed second behind Sturt during the Quarterfinals and has been trying to make a name for herself. 

  • Walton made waves this season by winning the Open for Australia and placing second overall worldwide. Last year, she finished in sixth place at the Oceania Semifinal. 

Men’s Division

The Favorite

Ricky Garard: A shoulder injury took Garard out of the 2023 CrossFit Games season, but he’s back and ready to pick up where he left off. 

While he’s been in the sport for quite some time, Garard has only been to the Games twice, in 2017 and 2022. He and Jay Crouch tied for first place in Quarterfinals for the Oceania region this year, and he’s looking to build on that momentum. 

  • Garard told Morning Chalk Up in an interview that he’s had a remarkable recovery from his shoulder injury (and surgery). 
  • Before the Open and Quarterfinals, Garard won the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza competition and placed fifth at the Rogue Invitational. 

Other Athletes to Watch

Jay Crouch: A Games veteran and winner of the 2023 Oceania Semifinal, Crouch is eyeing his seventh trip to the Games. (He’s competed at the Games twice on a team and four times on his own). He finished third worldwide in the Open and eighth in Quarterfinals.

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  • Crouch, 25, had his best performance at the Games in 2023 when he placed eighth overall. 
  • One of his best events at the Games last year was “Ride,” where he finished in third place. 

Bayley Martin: Another young athlete looking to make his way back to the Games is Bayley Martin, 24, who made his elite individual Games debut last year. 

  • Hailing from New Zealand, Martin came in second place at the Oceania Semifinals last year and finished in 12th place at the Games. 

Two more to watch: Ben Fowler and Zac Thomas are currently ranked fourth and fifth by Quarterfinals finish, respectively. 

  • Thomas took first place in the Oceania region on Quarterfinals Workout 2, a punishing couplet of wall balls and burpee box jumpovers. 

The Bottom Line

With the addition of a fourth qualifying spot to the Games this year, the individual athletes in the Oceania region are amped and ready to fight for every point over the weekend. It’s likely we’ll see some new faces on the women’s side qualify for the Games and some more familiar ones on the men’s side of the competition. 

While the heavy favorites have been listed, anything can happen come competition weekend. The margin for error is still quite thin, and athletes will need to show up ready to put in the work. 

How to Watch the 2024 CrossFit Games Oceania Semifinal

A full slate of coverage will be available across many platforms, including the CrossFit Games website, the CrossFit Games App, Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube. 

2024 CrossFit Games Oceania Semifinal Schedule 

All times are listed in Australian Eastern Standard Time and based on this schedule grid from the Torian Pro organizers. See below for conversions to EST and PST.

Friday, May 24

  • 9 a.m.-10:52 a.m.: Team Event 1
  • 11:25 a.m.-12:40 p.m.: Team Event 2
  • 1:20-3:45 p.m.: Individual Event 1
  • 4:10-6:25 p.m.: Team Event 3

Saturday, May 25

  • 9 a.m.-12:41 p.m.: Individual Event 2
  • 12:55-2:11 p.m.: Team Event 4
  • 2:50-4:26 p.m.: Individual Event 3
  • 6:30-7:46 p.m.: Team Event 5

Sunday, May 26

  • 9-11:46 a.m.: Individual Event 4
  • 12:20-2:56 p.m.: Individual Event 5
  • 3:25-5:01 p.m.: Individual Event 6

(Podium ceremonies will follow Team Event 5 on Saturday and Individual Event 6 on Sunday.)

Time Zone Conversions: 

  • Eastern Standard Time: 14 hours behind Australia.
    • The competition begins on Thursday, May 23, at 7:00 p.m.
  • Pacific Standard Time: 17 hours behind Australia.
    • The competition begins on Thursday, May 23, at 4:00 p.m.

More CrossFit Semifinals Coverage

Check out these other stories as we head into the 2024 CrossFit Semifinals:

Featured image: CrossFit Games

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