Last week, the Syndicate Crown In-Person Qualifying Event announced that Ben Smith is “officially in.”
The 11-time CrossFit Games veteran and 2015 Fittest Man on Earth hasn’t competed as an individual in the CrossFit Games for six years.
- That being said, as Syndicate Crown’s post pointed out: “Don’t call it a comeback – he never really left.”
Remind Me
Smith has continued to compete in his 30s, qualifying and competing in the Semifinals three times – in 2021, 2022, and 2024 – but has failed to qualify for the Games each time.
- He competed on a team at the 2023 Games, finishing 19th overall.
Okay, so Smith competing this weekend at the Syndicate Crown in Knoxville, TN, is no different from usual, right?
Maybe not. We believe he has a legitimate chance to achieve what he hasn’t since 2019.
3 Reasons Smith Can Earn a 2025 CrossFit Games Invite This Weekend
The Field Just Isn’t That Strong
The reality is that the men’s field this weekend is lacking major names. In fact, Smith has, by far, the biggest name on the roster.
- Only four other male athletes competing at the Syndicate Crown this weekend have individual Games experience: Spencer Panchik, Luke Parker, Jack Rozema, and George Sterner, a 2019 Games athlete.
In comparison, 18 of the 20 athletes at the Mayhem Classic Invitational earlier this year had individual Games experience, including last year’s Fittest Man on Earth, James Sprague, and two-time medalist Roman Khrennikov.
Twenty-one of the 30 Games invites have already been accounted for, and many of the top athletes have already qualified. Furthermore, since the Syndicate Crown is regionally restricted, it places Smith in a position where he must be considered one of the frontrunners to earn one of the two available qualifying spots.
Experience, Experience, Experience
Each year, athletes with Games experience demonstrate that having “been there, done that” multiple times is one of the most significant predictors of who will find a way to earn their invite.
- Experience helps athletes learn from their mistakes and avoid repeating them, not to mention the confidence it instills in an athlete, enabling them to believe they can succeed again.
Sure, Smith hasn’t competed as an individual at the Games since he was 29 years old, but he still possesses the experience, poise, and ability to stay calm and maintain focus until the final event. Those are qualities that new athletes in the sport often lack.
He Is Looking Pretty Fit
Smith’s Open and In-Affiliate Semifinals scores this season tell a story that he might be taking things a little more seriously this year.
- He finished 640th in the Open, compared to 1,564th last season. Even more telling is the fact that he ranked 64th in the world in the recent In-Affiliate Semifinals. In comparison, last year he placed 98th in the Quarterfinals, and the year before that, 1,059th.
All this suggests that at 35, Smith may be experiencing a resurgence strong enough to catapult him back to the biggest stage of the sport.
The Big Picture
Even if Smith doesn’t earn one of the two CrossFit Games invites available this weekend in Knoxville, his presence at the competition and the impact he has had on the sport cannot be overstated.
- As the Syndicate Crown post put it: He is “A CrossFit Games champ. A veteran of the sport. And still one of the most dangerous men on the floor.”
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Credit: CrossFit LLC
