2024 CrossFit Games North America West Semifinals Day 2 Men’s Recap: Pat Vellner Holds Top Spot, Justin Medeiros in Second at Halfway Point 

As the sun sets on an exciting Saturday in Carson, CA, competitors at the 2024 CrossFit Games North America West Semifinal are halfway home. But, with 300 points still on the line, there is a lot of action left. 

• Traditionally called “moving day,” athletes jostled for position on the leaderboard on Saturday to set themselves up for a final push on Sunday. 

And there was plenty of movement on the men’s leaderboard as we saw the past Games champ, Justin Medeiros, reassert his dominance, moving from seventh place at the end of day one to sitting comfortably in second at the end of Saturday. 

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Event 2 Recap

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Tudor Magda set a solid time to beat coming out of the first heat at 12:09.79, which held until the third heat when Brandon Luckett snuck in four seconds faster. 

Then the fireworks started. 

The final heat was fast, and most athletes went unbroken on their toes-to-bar, a movement where careful breaks were considered to be a true risk/reward situation. 

On “3-2-1-Go!,” Games veteran Colten Mertens took off with a blistering cycle rate on all three movements, taking the early lead. As the event continued, Mertens’ favorable range of motion contributed to his speed, but Justin Medeiros and Pat Vellner stayed close. 

As Mertens started the final round, picking up his jump rope at 8:40, it was apparent he could challenge Jay Crouch’s current Event 2 record time of 11:22.64 out of Oceania. 

In the end, Mertens massacred it, finishing at 10:45.75. We’ll have to wait until next week to see if he can hang on to the record. 

Day one star Chris Ibarra held his own in the final heat, finishing in eighth place. That put him in fifth overall, sandwiched between Games veterans Brent Fikowski and Cole Sager.

Event 3 Recap

As more athletes log scores in Event 3 at each Semifinal, it has become clear that you have to set an almost redline pace and try to hold on to win this workout. 

Rafael Sancen put up the early time to beat, which was quickly and aggressively taken down by William Leahy in the second heat. 

• Leahy was cruising until he stepped down from the fourth box jump in his final set and appeared to sustain a lower-leg injury. In a true testament to grit and determination, Leahy finished the workout, carding a time of 9:22.42. This was good enough for fifth place in the event. Afterwards, Leahy withdrew from the competition.

Leahy’s time stood until the final heat when top-10 men took the floor. 

James Sprague pulled in front, using his height to his advantage on the rope climbs. It soon became a three-horse race at the top, with Sprague being chased by Vellner and Medeiros. 

• Vellner was two seconds behind Sprague going into the final round, but Sprague scurried up and down the rope like a man possessed. 

He won the event with a time of 8:24.23, and Vellner followed shortly behind at 8:42.55. Medeiros and Brent Fikowski rounded out the top four. 

This is the second Semifinals event win for Sprague in 2024 and his third career Semifinals event — the other was “Oregon Trail” at the 2022 Syndicate Crown Semifinal, an event that also featured repeating Echo bike sprints. 

After the event, Sprague went over to the crowd to get a hug from his biggest fan: his dad.

• In the post-event interview, Sprague joked about their relationship: “No matter where I finish, he loves me, but I think he loves me just a little bit more when I get first.”

Veterans on the Brink

• After a win in Event 2, Colten Mertens took 24th place in Event 3 (he’s currently in eighth).
• Samuel Kwant is known for being steady, but he cannot get too complacent as he is currently in seventh place and catchable.
• Cole Greashaber is hoping to make a return trip to the Games, but he is going to have to put some work in to get there — he sits in 10th place, outside the cut line.

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Sunday will be a big day to close out the competition, with three events left and 300 points up for grabs. 

Brandon Luckett is currently the gatekeeper, sitting in ninth position, but scores are tight, and anything can happen. 

Bring on the handstand walks, snatch ladder, and an action-packed finale with athletes lunging across the competition floor for their final chance at the Games.

2024 CrossFit Games North America West Semifinals Leaderboard – Day 2

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