2025 French Throwdown: How to Watch, Roster, and Programming

The fourth 2025 CrossFit Games In-Person Qualifying Event (IPQE) begins this Friday at the Sud de France Arena in Montpellier, France. This is the second of two European IPQEs this season.

The French Throwdown features 40 men and 40 women fighting for two spots each at this summer’s CrossFit Games in Albany, NY.

• Most athletes in the field qualified to compete through an online qualifier in February, and a few received special invitations.

Check out the full men’s and women’s rosters here. 

The complete 30-person CrossFit Games rosters for men and women will be assembled as follows:

• In-Affiliate Semifinals – 11 men and women (see unofficial leaderboard here).
• In-Person Qualifying Events (10 competitions) – 18 men and women (each event offers one or two Games tickets).
• Last Chance Qualifier – One man and one woman. 

As we get ready for three action-packed days in France, here are five things to know.

Live Streaming in French and English

The French Throwdown’s YouTube channel will stream the entire competition in both French and English.

• Additionally, keep an eye on their Instagram page for updates, backstage content, and interviews with athletes.

A Watered-Down Field?

Because the French Throwdown coincides with the World Fitness Project (WFP) Tour Event I in Indianapolis, IN, many athletes who received invitations will compete there instead. This means there are fewer top names on the rosters in Montpellier than at other IPQEs.

Only three women with individual Games experience are competing at the French Throwdown. Two of them – Elisa Fuliano and Karin Frey – are not eligible for this summer’s Games, as they did not participate in the CrossFit Open. The third is French athlete Claudia Gluck, a rookie last season.

• In comparison, 15 of the 18 female competitors at the Mayhem Classic were Games athletes, including many veterans with multiple Games appearances, such as Alexis Raptis, Haley Adams, and Emily Rolfe.

On the men’s side, six athletes with Games experience are competing this weekend and are eligible for the 2025 CrossFit Games: Uldis Upenieks, Luke Parker, Callum Clements, Bronislaw Olenkowicz, Enrico Zenoni, and Guillaume Briant. 

However, none have ever finished better than 20th at the Games. Moritz Fiebig is also still listed on the roster, but he has already qualified for this summer’s CrossFit Games.

• In comparison, 18 out of 20 men who competed at the Mayhem Classic had Games experience, including last year’s Fittest Man on Earth, James Sprague, and two-time podium finisher Roman Khrennikov. Due to the depth of the field, neither of these competitors qualified for the Games via the Mayhem Classic.

A Different Programming Look

It’s safe to say the French Throwdown’s programming looks a bit different from that of the first three IPQEs and the In-Affiliate Semifinals last weekend.

• For starters, the French Throwdown has eight workouts this weekend, compared to seven at Wodland Fest, six at Copa Sur, and only five at both the In-Affiliate Semifinals and the Mayhem Classic.

Furthermore, the French Throwdown is the first qualifier to feature a long, purely monostructural conditioning event.

• Event 1 this weekend consists of a 1,000/800-meter SkiErg, a 5,000/4,000-meter BikeErg, and a 2,000/1,500-meter RowErg with a 23-minute time cap.

A Female Rookie Will Punch a Ticket 

With Frey and Fuliano ineligible to qualify for the CrossFit Games, at least one female rookie will receive an invitation to the Games via the French Throwdown. 

Five athletes to watch are:

• Lucy McGonigle: McGonigle is a two-time Teen CrossFit Games champion. Last year, she competed in both the Teen and Individual divisions, finishing 19th at the Europe Semifinals. It seems that it’s only a matter of time before McGonigle returns to the Games as an individual.
• Mirjam von Rohr: Von Rohr has won the worldwide CrossFit Open for the past two seasons. She finished 18th at last year’s Semifinals but has fully committed to CrossFit and is ready for a breakthrough.
• Andra Moistus: Moistus actually qualified for the Games in 2020, but the worldwide pandemic caused a reshuffling of the qualification process. Moistus has only competed in the semifinals once, in 2023, but she is coming off a top 100 finish in the 2025 CrossFit Open, placing 89th overall.
• Emelie Lundberg: Lundberg is a three-time Semifinals athlete, who missed the cutline by just one spot at last year’s Europe Semifinals, finishing in 11th place.
• Madeleine Persson: Sweden’s Persson competed at Semifinals in both 2022 and 2023, finishing 17th and 21st, respectively. She did not compete in 2024 but finished in an impressive 50th place worldwide in the recent Open.

Keep an Eye on French Athlete Lucas Heuzé

While home-court advantage isn’t usually a factor in CrossFit, as in many other sports, there’s still something special about having the crowd behind you during a tough workout.

One contender who will benefit from the crowd’s support is the French athlete Lucas Heuzé.

• About Heuzé: The 30-year-old has competed twice in the Team Division at the CrossFit Games, with his team finishing third in the world in 2021. Furthermore, Heuzé has participated as an Individual in the Semifinals twice, in 2022 and 2024. More recently, Heuzé placed 11th at the Dubai Fitness Championship.

All things considered, the stars may be aligned for Heuzé to earn his invite this weekend.

The Bottom Line

Although this weekend’s French Throwdown may not feature as many prominent names as some other IPQEs this season, it offers a great opportunity for rising athletes to showcase their talents and demonstrate they belong among the elite this summer in Albany.

Either way, it will be an entertaining competition to follow.

More CrossFit Stories

• Backed by Red Bull, Luka Ðukić is Primed for the World Fitness Project
• 6 Quick Takeaways From CrossFit’s In-Affiliate Semifinals
• After Controversial Run Rules and a Quiet Review Window, the 2025 CrossFit Games Team Field Is Set

Featured Image: @frenchthrowdown / Instagram