With the first day of competition complete in Aberdeen, we have some familiar names at the top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Rogue Invitational.
While there have been many great performances so far in Scotland, a few of them could mean a lot when it comes to the overall competition and future events. Let’s take a look at some highlights.
Run, Laura, Run
Laura Horváth quietly finished in fourth place in “Event 1: Quick Sand” to start the 2024 Rogue Invitational. It’s the second year in a row that Horváth has kicked off the competition with a fourth-place finish in the long ruck run at Rogue.
While the results are the same year over year, it’s clear that the two-time defending Rogue champion has improved her running game immensely.
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Looking back at her career, Horváth only has three other top-five finishes in events that have more than a mile (1600m) of running (18 total events).
- Second at the 2022 CrossFit Games in “The Capitol.”
- Second at the 2022 Lowlands Throwdown Semifinal in “Insidious.”
- Second at the 2018 European Regionals in “Triple 3.”
Over the last two years, running events haven’t helped Horváth towards her successful finishes. Earlier this year at Semifinals, the women completed five rounds of an 800m run and 10 clean and jerks (125 pounds).
- Horváth finished seventh, her only event finish outside of the top three all weekend.
Going back to Madison and the 2023 CrossFit Games, Horváth had a 13th in the 5k Run and a 15th in “Helena” (1200m of running). These two running events were two of her three finishes outside the top 10.
With Horváth holding her own with the top runners in the sport in Event 1, she further highlights why she’ll be in contention with Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr for the top spot this weekend.
The Best of Times and the Worst of Times
Guilherme Malheiros’ first two event finishes are about as far apart as you can get.
In “Quick Sand,” the Brazilian was lapped by several men in the first heat on his way to a 20th-place finish. Redemption came in Event 2, where he made easy work of the 225-pound squat snatches on his way to a heat win and a second overall finish.
- This polar opposite in finishes is, unfortunately, nothing new for Malheiros.
At the 2022 CrossFit Games, there were two events that had a time domain shorter than five minutes: “Hat Trick” and “Back Nine.” Malheiros had a first and a fourth place there. In the two events where the time domain was greater than 20 minutes, Malheiros had a 24th in “Bike to Work” and a 30th place in “The Capitol.”
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While the long and short events eventually balance out over the competition, this does limit Malheiros’ upside in the standings.
With an added boost in the strength events, Malheiros is always in a fight for a spot in the top 10 at Rogue and the CrossFit Games. However, without improvement in the longer events, it’ll be tough for him to ever break into the top five.
Adams’ Strength Gains
In Event 2 at the 2024 Rogue Invitational, Haley Adams worked her way through eight squat snatches at 160 pounds. Compare that to the 2021 CrossFit Games, where she successfully hit 175 pounds In the “Max Snatch” event.
- Adams had a PR lift of 185 pounds in the “Max Snatch” event at the first event of the 2021 Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge.
Adams made significant steps forward in her year away from the sport, which has paid dividends so far at the Rogue Invitational.
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- With a sixth-place finish in the event that historically would have been a weakness for her, Adams positioned herself comfortably in fourth place after two events.
In Event 3, Adams had some challenges with the heavy back squats. While the end result wasn’t as positive as Event 2, Adams’ squatting strength has certainly grown.
- At the 2020 CrossFit Games, Adams’ max front squat was 220 pounds. Compare that to this year’s Rogue Invitational, where she did 260-pound back squats for reps.
Two Days Left: We were treated to an exciting day of competition with three entertaining events. It’s probably safe to assume that we can expect more exceptional performances over the weekend.
More CrossFit Coverage
- Our 2024 Rogue Invitational Women’s Podium Picks and Dark Horses
- Our 2024 Rogue Invitational Men’s Podium Picks and Dark Horses
- Celebrating the 2024 Rogue Invitational Legends Roster
Featured image: Seb Vallejo, @vallejo_media_ / Instagram
