The 2025 Mayhem Classic is officially in the books, and Fee Saghafi, Abigail Domit, Austin Hatfield, and Colten Mertens have secured the first roster spots at this August’s CrossFit Games in Albany, NY. These four athletes can now focus on their training and other events while knowing their Games spot is secured.
Hatfield holds a WFP Pro Card and will compete in the first World Fitness Project Tour event in Indianapolis on May 9-11. Mertens and Saghafi have qualified for the Pro Division, while Domit has qualified for the Challenger Division in Tour Event I.
- Both Saghafi and Mertens failed to qualify for the CrossFit Games last year.
Remind me: The Mayhem Classic was the first of 10 In-Person Qualifying Events for the 2025 CrossFit Games season.
- Eighteen men and women will ultimately qualify through these events, while an additional 11 will qualify through the In-Affiliate Online Semifinal from May 1-4.
One final spot will be awarded through the Last Chance Qualifier, bringing the total to 30 men and 30 women. It’s important to note that the Last Chance Qualifier is not currently referenced in the 2025 CrossFit Games season rulebook.
Final 2025 Mayhem Classic Leaderboard – Top 10
| Place | Men’s Division | Points | Women’s Division | Points | Prize Money |
| 1 | Austin Hatfield | 440 | Fee Saghafi | 400 | $15,000 |
| 2 | Colten Mertens | 415 | Abigail Domit | 400 | $10,000 |
| 3 | Roman Khrennikov | 390 | Emily Rolfe | 395 | $5,000 |
| 4 | James Sprague | 385 | Claudia Gluck | 385 | $3,000 |
| 5 | Jayson Hopper | 355 | Manon Angonese | 360 | $2,500 |
| 6 | Gui Malheiros | 330 | Alexis Raptis | 350 | $2,000 |
| 7 | Jorge Fernandez | 305 | Haley Adams | 345 | $1,500 |
| 8 | Nick Mathew | 300 | Caroline Stanley | 345 | $1,000 |
| 9 | George Sterner | 295 | Nina Vragovic | 310 | $500 |
| 10 | Luke Parker | 285 | Andrea Nisler | 300 | $250 |
Event Recap
With only five workouts, the leaderboard was chaotic. One constant throughout the weekend, however, was Hatfield’s name at the top. He led from start to finish, winning event one and never looking back.
The women’s competition was extremely close. Saghafi and Domit tied for first with 400 points, each winning one event. Saghafi secured the tiebreaker by way of her next-best finish of second place, compared to Domit’s third. Rolfe was only five points behind the leaders and would have won a tiebreaker with two event wins, but she fell short.
Day one featured elements from two classic CrossFit workouts. Athletes started with a variation of the burden run from the 2013 Games, followed by “Heavy Isabel,” which consisted of 30 snatches for time at 225/155 pounds.
- The crowd enjoyed close races right from the start in both divisions, with Hatfield and Rolfe securing victory in Event 1.
Gui Malheiros, always the favorite in an Olympic lifting workout, showcased his skills to win Event 2. However, Nick Mathew was not far behind, achieving a 50-second personal record from training. Domit won the event for the women, maintaining an impressively steady pace through all 30 reps.
Day two started with Event 3, a test that included dumbbell thrusters and legless rope climbs in a descending rep scheme. Hatfield grabbed his second event win on the weekend in a time of just 5:42, edging out Colten Mertens by six seconds.
- For the women, Fee Saghafi took first place, making up some much-needed points and jumping up the leaderboard.
The most dominant performance in any event over the weekend came from Haley Adams, who ripped through her sets of GHDs in Event 4, setting the best time in both divisions. She finished in 11:48, more than a minute and a half faster than second-place Emily Rolfe at 13:33.
- On the men’s side, 2024 Fittest Man, James Sprague, pocketed his first event of the weekend and his 2025 Games season in 11:51.
The fifth and final event offered a bonus of $3,000 to the winner, providing extra incentive for athletes to give their all to close out the competition, regardless of overall placement.
Saghafi took a 15-point lead over Abbie Domit into the final event, and only 30 points separated second through seventh.
- Rolfe needed to beat those two and get some help from other women. She did her job, winning the event and taking home the $3,000 bonus, but fell just five points short of a qualifying spot.
Hatfield held a 35-point cushion over Mertens going into the final event. Both men held off a last-ditch effort from some of the most powerful athletes in the field.
Roman Khrennikov absolutely demolished Event 5, finishing 30 calories on the Echo bike, 30 bar muscle-ups, and another 30 calories in just 3:18.
What they’re saying: Floor reporter Bella Martin asked Saghafi about the source of her new competitive fire. Saghafi credited her coach, Matt Torres, and her Brute team. She also noted a change in mindset, placing less emphasis on results.
“This year, I’m having more fun. Enjoying my journey, and I feel so much more love […] There’s nothing better than lots of love in your corner,” Saghafi said.
After the podium ceremony, in his interview with Rory McKernon, Mertens warned the men’s field about Hatfield: “I gotta give Austin his credit… we all have some catching up to do.”
The Bottom Line
By all accounts, the Mayhem Classic was a tremendous success. The livestream numbers peaked at 16,000 concurrent viewers, and the stream recording from the first day topped 150,000 views within the first 24 hours.
The broadcast team knocked it out of the park, setting a high standard for the In-Person Qualifying Event live streams this season. Sean Woodland called the action, accompanied by event programmers Rich Froning and Angelo Dicicco, who added color commentary.
The next In-Person Qualifying Event is Copa Sur in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which will take place April 18-20. Two men and two women from South America will join Saghafi, Domit, Hatfield, and Mertens on the 2025 CrossFit Games roster.
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Featured image: Sara Ines Chew
