The 2021 Rogue Invitational Set to Take Place in October
The third annual Rogue Invitational is set to take place Oct. 29 through 31, 2021, at the Dell Diamond stadium in Round Rock, TX. Additionally, for the first time, a strongman contest will be included at the event, featuring 10 of the top athletes in the sport. Finally, the Rogue Record Breakers event will return to offer athletes a chance to set new world records.
On Dec. 18, 2020, the 2021 CrossFit Games Season Schedule was announced. The Open will begin the week of March 8, 2021, with registration available starting on Jan. 7, 2021. The Open, which includes the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and last-chance qualifier, will take place over 11 weeks to determine who earns a qualification to the 2021 CrossFit Games. Alongside those athletes who qualify for the Games via the Open are the athletes who win a CrossFit Sanctionals™. In 2020, the Rogue Invitational functioned as a Sanctionals™ event. However, in 2021, the Rogue Invitational is scheduled to take place three months after the Games are scheduled and therefore will not provide an invitation to an aspiring 2021 CrossFit Games competitor.
Despite the schedule differences from last year, the Rogue Invitational will still be held in partnership with CrossFit and include the Rogue Record Breakers (RRB) event. The 2019 RRB event witnessed the 2019 World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis secure a Steinborn squat world record of 257 kilograms (565 pounds).
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[Related: Adaptive Classes Are Confirmed For 2021 CrossFit Open, But Games May Wait Until 2022]
The Rogue Invitational
The 2020 Rogue Invitational was originally scheduled for March 16-17, 2020, at RogueHQ in Columbus, OH — around the same time that the coronavirus pandemic compelled the postponement and/or cancelation of events. The 2020 Rogue Invitational was pushed back to June 13-14, 2020, and became one of the earliest CrossFit events to be held entirely online — a unique twist that gave competitors the added obstacle of not seeing their competition’s times or performances during each event. The most impressive result was Sam Briggs performing 211 power snatches in the last person standing event.
Although it would certainly have been interesting to see if the reigning five-time Fittest Man on Earth® would have been able to win the 2020 Rogue Invitational, Mat Fraser had to withdraw from the event due to what would have been an insufficient prep following an injury. That left the door open for Pat Vellner to win the event alongside four-time Fittest Woman on Earth Tia-Clair Toomey.
Onward to 2021
There is a lot of time for athletes to prepare for the 2021 Rogue Invitational, considering it is set for the last quarter of the year. Will Vellner and Toomey return to defend their titles? Will Fraser emerge once again as a dominant force? Perhaps Brooke Wells will soar to new heights as she is Toomey’s new training partner alongside coach Shane Orr. Considering the 2020 Rogue Invitational success, whether 2021’s event takes place online or in-person, it will certainly be worth watching.
Featured image: @rogueinvitational on Instagram