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

May 29, 2024 by

The 2024 South American Semifinal by Copa Sur takes place this weekend at Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The three-day event begins on May 31. 

The South America Semifinal is one of three this weekend to end the middle portion of the CrossFit Games season, solidifying the men’s, women’s, and team fields. It’s joined by the North America East Semifinal in Knoxville, TN, and the Africa Semifinal in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa.

This weekend, 40 men and 40 women take the floor to compete, and for the first time in the Semifinal era, three Games tickets are available for both the men’s and women’s divisions.

Let’s look at the contenders.

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Top 10 Men and Women, Ranked by Quarterfinals Finish

  • 1. Agustin Richelme | Victoria Campos
  • 2. Joao Pedro Barcelos | Emily Andrade
  • 3. Bruno Marins | Gabriella Luque
  • 4. Guilherme Malheiros | Luiza Marques
  • 5. Juan Ignacio Sforzini | Lillian Nagao Leitao
  • 6. Marcus Moreira | Lucila Carro
  • 7. Williams Rios | Carolina Martinez
  • 8. Kaique Cerveny | Bruna Baxhix
  • 9. Nicolas Bedon | Julia Kato
  • 10. Nicolas Canil | Victoria Monje

Women’s Division

The Favorite

Victoria Campos: The Brazilian athlete is the only woman in the field to have made multiple CrossFit Games appearances, and she is looking to qualify a third time this summer. 

  • Campos has been dominant at past South American Semifinals, taking the title in both 2023 and 2022. She also had a podium finish in 2021 when she finished third. Campos enters Semifinals in top form after finishing first in Quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

In the Hunt

Julia Kato: This 2022 CrossFit Games athlete is looking for her second appearance at the CrossFit Games. 

  • Kato had a disappointing Semifinal in 2023 with an eighth-place finish. In this off-season, she bounced back to form with an 18th-place finish at the Dubai Fitness Championship.

Emily Andrade: Brazilian athlete Emily Andrade enters the South America Semifinal on a high note after a career-best second place in Quarterfinals. 

  • After finishing in sixth at last year’s South America Semifinal, Andrade has had a strong off-season. She earned her spot at the TYR Wodapalooza Latin America (LATAM) Cup with a second-place finish at TCB. She then went on to finish third at the TYR Wodaplooza LATAM Cup, the highest finish by a South American athlete.

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Luiza Marques: She is entering her fourth year as an individual Semifinals athlete and has a top-10 finish in all three prior Semifinal appearances. 

  • Marques enters the South America Semifinal with a fourth-place finish in Quarterfinals, her third consecutive top-five finish at that stage.

Men’s Division

Favorites 

Guilherme Malheiros: The Brazilian sensation who has electrified crowds at the Games and TYR Wodapalooza is looking to make his fourth trip to the CrossFit Games in 2024. 

  • After a disappointing 2023 season in which he missed the Games, Malheiros has shown he can compete with the best in the sport after his ninth-place finish at TYR Wodaplooza in January. 

Malheiros is one of the most explosive athletes in the sport. Look for him to win the snatch ladder and add to his eight career Semifinal event wins, the second most in history. 

Kaique Cerveny: The 2023 Games rookie is the reigning champion of the South America Semifinal. 

  • In last year’s event, Cerveny took the title by being consistent, finishing all seven events in either second, third, or fourth. 

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After finishing 37th at the CrossFit Games as a rookie, Cerveny went on to finish 13th and the Dubai Fitness Championship

Kalyan Souza: Another 2023 rookie, Souza, is on the hunt for his second Games berth. 

  • The 23-year-old earned his trip to Madison last year after a second-place finish in Semifinals, where he had two event wins. 

So far in 2024, Souza has placed second at the UAE Storm Games behind Luka Dukic, who has already qualified for the 2024 CrossFit Games.

Agustin Richelme: He is a four-time CrossFit Games qualifier with a career-best finish in 2021 of 32nd place. 

  • After missing the CrossFit Games in 2023, he has had positive results since last year’s Semifinal. He won the Argentina Throwdown in December and had a 29th-place finish in the CrossFit Open. 

Richelme enters the South American Semifinal as the top qualifier.

Potential Breakout Performance

Joao Pedro Barcelos: The young Brazilian could break out in 2024 and surprise the CrossFit community by taking one of the three Games spots. 

  • At only 23, Barcelos has been to Semifinals as an individual three times previously, with his first top-ten finish in 2023. 

Barcelos is already having a career year after finishing in the top 50 of the CrossFit Open for the first time and finishing second in Quarterfinals.

What to Watch For

Points and leaderboard positions are hard to earn back once lost at the South America Semifinal. 

  • In 2023, Guilherme Malheiros missed the CrossFit Games after finishing in third at Semis despite three event wins. In the end, he couldn’t climb back from the 15th-place finish he had in Event 1. 

Historically Malheiros has struggled in long events, and with Events 1 and 2 falling into that category, it will be a test to see how his conditioning has improved. 

With only six events in 2024 and a tight race for the three Games spots, Malheiros, or any of the other favorites, cannot afford a misstep.

How To Watch Copa Sur

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

  • Don’t forget to follow Copa Sur on Instagram, too.

2024 CrossFit Games South America Semifinal Schedule 

All times are listed in Brasilia Time (GMT-3) and according to the Copa Sur schedule grid. See below for conversions to EST and GMT.

Friday, May 31

  • 9:55 a.m.-11:18 a.m.: Team Event 1
  • 11:40 a.m.-12:35 p.m.: Team Event 2
  • 1:00-3:20 p.m.: Individual Event 1
  • 3:35-5:15 p.m.: Team Event 3

Saturday, June 1

  • 10 a.m.-12:59 p.m.: Individual Event 2
  • 1:15-3:11 p.m.: Team Event 4
  • 2:45-5:26 p.m.: Individual Event 3
  • 5:40-6:36 p.m.: Team Event 5

Sunday, June 2

  • 9-11:14 a.m.: Individual Event 4
  • 11:50-2:26 p.m.: Individual Event 5
  • 2:45-4:11 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: One hour behind Brasilia Standard.
    • The competition begins at 8:55 a.m. EST, Friday, May 31.
  • Greenwich Mean Time: Three hours ahead of Brasilia Standard.
    • The competition begins at 12:55 p.m. GMT, Friday, May 31.

More CrossFit Semifinals Coverage

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

Featured image: @goleonn / Instagram

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