2024 CrossFit Games Team Semifinals Week 1 Preview
The 2024 CrossFit Games Semifinal stage is making only two stops this weekend — Europe and Asia. From May 17 to 18, 60 teams will compete across five events.
When all is said and done, nine teams (eight in Europe and one in Asia) will punch their tickets to Fort Worth, filling up almost a third of the 30 available spots in the CrossFit Games team competition. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect from Europe and Asia this weekend.
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Europe
While the United States has largely dominated the team space in the past several years, several heavy-hitter European teams have recently emerged to contend for the affiliate cup at the Games.
Remind me: Last year, four of the top 10 teams at the CrossFit Games hailed from Europe. And all of those came from the Nordic region.
This is substantial growth from just 10 years ago, when only one European team landed in the top 20 (CrossFit Tegen of Sweden).
Top 10 Teams to Watch
| Team Name | Country | QF Worldwide Finish |
| 1. CrossFit Prestanda Kriger | Sweden | 4th |
| 2. CrossFit Zarautz Traincult | Spain | 9th |
| 3. CrossFit Walleye Orka | Sweden | 7th |
| 4. C23 CrossFit The Progrm Motion | Spain | 13th |
| 5. CrossFit Butcher’s Lab Flaek | Denmark | 18th |
| 6. CrossFit Oslo Kriger PSL | Norway | 22nd |
| 7. CrossFit Aorta | Germany | Germany | 25th |
| 8. CrossFit Oslo Kriger Rizz | Norway | 36th |
| 9. Blueprint CrossFit AOD | UK | 29th |
| 10. CrossFit Holistic | Sweden | 32nd |
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Storylines To Watch
CrossFit Oslo makes its mark again: Last year, CrossFit Oslo became the second affiliate to qualify three or more teams to the CrossFit Games from one Semifinal (six teams in total competed at the Europe Semifinal in 2023).
Since 2021, a team from CrossFit Oslo has earned a spot on the podium every year, and while one of them is no longer together (Oslo Navy Blue), CrossFit Oslo still has two high-caliber teams from their affiliate in strong contention for a Games spot.
Additionally, Oslo has one banner team (i.e., a team identified as part of the camp but does not train directly out of the home affiliate location.) In this case, the camp is Kristen Holte’s “Kriger,” which could potentially make a run for the podium at the Games.
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That banner team, CrossFit Prestanda Kriger of Sweden, wouldn’t be counted as a direct team division win for the CrossFit Oslo affiliate, but a strong showing or even a placement on the podium would keep the Kriger banner name at the top of the division at the Games for the fourth year in a row.
While CrossFit Prestanda placed 10th at the Games last year, the team enters this year with a new name, “Prestanda Kriger,” and an updated roster featuring Victor Langsved, Alexander Elebro, Lisa Andersson, and Maria Längfors.
Mia Hesketh leads CrossFit Walleye again: In 2023, CrossFit Walleye Athlete, led by team captain Mia Hesketh, took sixth at the CrossFit Games.
This year, Hesketh returns with a power team ready to maintain their top 10 standing. Her team includes Laura Horváth’s brother, Kristóf Horváth, three-time Games athlete Elliot Simmonds, and six-time Games athlete Jamie Simmonds.
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The Fight Near the Cutline
While there are eight spots up for grabs this weekend (the largest number along with North America East), the fight to stay inside that eighth-place cutline will be fierce.
At the end of Quarterfinals in Europe, four teams sat tied for 11th place, with only six points separating them from the eighth-place team, CrossFit Kriger Rizz.
This weekend, the seven teams seeded in eighth to 11th place after Quarterfinals will be the ones to watch as they fight for that eighth and final qualifying spot.
Asia
With just one ticket up for grabs this weekend, the competition at the Asia Semifinal will be fierce.
Top 3 Teams to Watch
| Team Name | Country | QF Worldwide Finish |
| 1. KT CrossFit Kolesnikov Team | Russia | 9th |
| 2. CrossFit Yas Blue | United Arab Emirates | 91st |
| 3. CrossFit Marvel Black Mayhem | South Korea | 188th |
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Storylines to Watch
KT CrossFit Kolesnikov Team vs. CrossFit Marvel Black Mayhem — The Rematch: Last year, Asia was allotted two spots, which allowed for CrossFit Marvel Black to become the first team from South Korea at the CrossFit Games.
They finished second behind KT CrossFit Kolesnikov Team (competing as CrossFit Fly High Kolesnikov Team last year).
With just one spot available at the Asia Semifinal this year, CrossFit Marvel Black Mayhem will need to bring their all to beat KT CrossFit Kolesnikov Team if they want to earn their ticket back to the Games for the second year in a row.
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It won’t be easy — last year, CrossFit Marvel Black only beat the CrossFit Fly High Kolesnikov team in one workout and trailed by more than 60 points in the final standings once the dust settled on the weekend.
They went on to finish behind CrossFit Fly High Kolesnikov Team at the CrossFit Games, trailing them by 36 points.
This year, during Quarterfinals, CrossFit Marvel Black Mayhem placed third overall in the region, trailing KT CrossFit Kolesnikov Team, which took first in every event. CrossFit Yas Blue also beat CrossFit Marvel Black Mayhem in every event.
That being said, Quarterfinals performance does not always dictate Semifinal outcomes and it will all come down to what happens on the floor this weekend.
Featured image: @lifeofmalm / Instagram