2024 CrossFit Games North America West Semifinals Day 1 Recap: James Sprague and Caitlin Bernardin Lead

The men and women got to work at the 2024 CrossFit Games North America West Semifinal by West Coast Classic, which had just one event and 100 points on tap.

The weather on day one was cool, with periods of bright sun on the tennis stadium floor in Carson, CA. This is what the athletes had to contend with in the first event:

5 rounds for time:

• 800-meter run
• 10 clean and jerks

Time cap: 30 minutes

Women: 125 pounds
Men: 185 pounds 

Reminder: The top scores carded on this workout thus far out of Europe, Asia, and Oceania are:

• 1. Uldis Upenieks (Europe) – 20:20.47 | Gabriela Migala (Europe) – 21:11.00
• 2. Ricky Garard (Oceania) – 22:27.38 | Seher Kaya (Asia) – 23:13.00 
• 3. Ilyas Kuliev (Asia) – 23:13.00 | Madeline Sturt (Oceania) – 24:25.94

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Worth noting: The run courses for this workout, though programmed at 800 meters across the board, have varied from location to location globally, as we’ve seen thus far in Semifinals. 

• The route initially announced in Carson was to incorporate “the berm,” the classic course up and over the hill at the top of the soccer stadium. 
• Upon hearing the original course, Sam Dancer advised individual rookie Devyn Kim, “Pace yourself on the first one.”

However, in a surprise to the athletes, the route was then changed. Prior to the day’s events in Carson, athletes received an email stating that the route was adjusted “to reduce the length to match the original programming intent.” 

Competitors began at their barbell in the tennis stadium, ran through and around the soccer stadium, up and down the stairs (avoiding “the berm”), and returned to where they began.

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Here’s what happened on day one at North America West Semifinal.

Men’s Division

At the top: James Sprague showed that he learned his pacing lesson from the last time the West Coast Classic had a long running event and managed to hold off Brent Fikowski to win Event 1. 

The wily veteran Fikowski charged during the fourth round and briefly overtook the youngster Sprague for the lead.

The two men have developed a friendly competition in longer endurance races involving running.

Throwback to TYR WZA 2024:

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Third place in the event went to Chris Ibarra of Solution 1 CrossFit. He finished first in the first heat with a time of 23:44.66. 

Ibarra trains in Games veteran Jacob Heppner’s barn with 2023 Games Rookie of the Year, Olivia Kerstetter.

• Good pacing was paramount in this event, as the athlete who returned to the stadium first after each run in every heat fell off quickly.

Pat Vellner — unrecognizable in massive sunglasses and a bright red hat to protect his pale skin — had a spot in the first heat due to Quarterfinals dropping him down the leaderboard. You won’t like Uncle Pat when he’s angry, and he finished the event in fourth place and will be in the final heat tomorrow.

• Other solid performances include Colten Mertens in fifth, Games champ Justin Medeiros in seventh, and the ever-consistent Sam Kwant finishing sixth.

The veterans delivered on the men’s side, showing the importance of pacing correctly; a skill that only comes from experience. It was an exhilarating finish, as the top contenders all left just enough in the tank to sprint at the end.

Surprise success: Sam Dancer, the athlete on a quest to become the oldest man to qualify as an individual, finished in 19th place. It’s a spectacular finish for a man best known for his overall strength and not his running prowess. Don’t forget he took last in Ranch Trail Run at the 2016 CrossFit Games.

One cool stat: Cole Sager is currently sitting in the last qualifying spot. If he can stay there or improve his position, he will qualify for his 11th consecutive CrossFit Games, keeping pace with Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, who earned his 11th trip last weekend in Europe.

Men’s Leaderboard After Day 1

Women’s Division

The women’s race looks to be an international affair, with four Canadian women in the top seven at the end of day one.

• Semifinal rookie Caitlin Bernardin won Event 1 from the first heat — the only woman who went sub-24 minutes (23:56.00).
• However, Emily Rolfe, the favorite to win this event, did not disappoint. She turned on the jets and passed all the other women right out of the gate, running into the stadium and putting her hands immediately on her barbell. She never looked out of breath.
• Fellow countrywoman Hattie Kanyo, who is competing in her fourth Semifinal, locked up 94 points, finishing third.

It’s not time to worry yet, but several veterans picked to do well in the first event didn’t have great finishes. 

Third-place podium finisher in 2023, Arielle Loewen, finished in eighth place today, down from her impressive third-place finish in Event 7, “Cross Country 5K,” at the Games last year. 

Overall favorite Alex Gazan will enter day two in 11th, and Bethany Flores will be in 14th.

Veterans in danger: Games veterans Olivia Kerstetter (20th), Rebecca Fuselier (23rd), and Dani Speegle (28th) all need to turn it on tomorrow to ensure an invitation to the Games come Sunday afternoon.

One cool stat: Only three of the women currently in the top 10 have Individual Games experience. We may be in for the year of the rookie.

Women’s Leaderboard After Day 1

Featured image: Nicky Freymond