From Nov. 12-13, 2022, the Zelos Games Invitational served as the official kick-off of the Zelos Games, an online competition featuring 20 skill divisions. The Invitational consisted of 12 women and 11 men squaring off in person across four workouts, located at Camp Rhino gym in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A prize purse of $5,200 was paid out across the top five places in the men’s and women’s divisions, and two champions were crowned in this inaugural contest when the dust settled. Andrea Nisler, a two-time CrossFit Games champion in the Team division, won the women’s title, while 20-year-old Games phenom Tudor Magda won the men’s division. Here’s how the entire event shook out:
Men’s Results
- Tudor Magda — 318.35
- Tola Morakinyo — 308.85
- James Sprague — 289.36
- Denis Samsonov — 258.54
- Peter Mason — 246.59
- Leonel Franco — 245.06
- Jack Rozema — 234.22
- Matt Dlugos — 172.75
- Ethan Helbig — 151.23
- Logan Ewing — 117.43
- Mitch McClune — 59.40
Women’s Results
- Andrea Nisler — 367.73
- Christine Kolenbrander — 331.09
- Alex Gazan — 318.63
- Solveig Sigurdardottir — 250.95
- Devyn Kim— 235.63
- Ro Scott — 203.22
- Ellia Miller — 202.05
- Elena Budz — 192.26
- Brittany Weiss — 190.38
- Alexis Johnson — 186.05
- Kyra Milligan — 100.60
- Samantha Petrich — 35.42
Event 1 Workout — “Snake Eyes”
3:00 AMRAP:
- 26/18 Cal Echo
- 14 Dumbbell Box Step-Overs (50/35 pounds)
- Max Ring Muscle-Ups (RMU) in the Remaining Time
- Rest 1:00
3:00 AMRAP:
- 26/18 Cal Echo
- 14 DB Box Step-overs
- Max RMU in the Remaining Time
- Rest 1:00
4:00 AMRAP:
- 26/18 Cal Echo
- 14 DB Box Step-Overs
- Max RMU in the Remaining Time
Event 1 Results
In this workout, the total amount of ring muscle-ups determined the winners. For the women, Games veteran Christine Kolenbrander set the score to beat in the first heat with 34 ring muscle-ups.
The second heat featured three Games athletes in it with Vegas native Alex Gazan using her home-gym advantage to complete 35 muscle-ups. The third and final heat was led by Nisler, a last-minute replacement for the competition, squeezing in one more rep at the buzzer to edge Gazan with 36.
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The men’s field followed the lead with Games veteran Tola Morakinyo setting the standard with 37 muscle-ups. Former Games teen division athlete Logan Ewing had 38 reps in the second heat to take the lead. Another former teen athlete, James Sprague, then won the event with 39 in the final heat.
Event 2 Workout — “Royal Flush”*
For time:
- Power Clean (165/115 Pounds – 75/52 KGs)
- Bar-Facing Burpees
- Thruster
- Bar-Facing Burpees
* 5-7-9 rep count with a seven-minute time cap
Event 2 Results
This quick burner was programmed as a “classic CrossFit” workout. The objective was to move as fast as you could, and the top athletes did exactly that as they went all out from start to finish.
Nisler looked to continue her winning ways with a time of 4:01 in the opening heat, setting the mark for the remaining six athletes in the other two heats. Ro Scott was up for the challenge, finishing with a time of 3:58.
In the final women’s heat, 20-year-old Games athlete Devyn Kim gave Scott a scare as she was on pace to beat her time but finished with 4:12 to take third in the event. Scott, who placed last in the opening event, took the event win and was the only athlete, man or woman, to finish the workout under 4:00.
Pete Mason set the time to beat in the opening heat for the men with 4:08. Tudor Magda gave Mason’s time a shot in the final but took second with a time of 4:16. Jack Rozema, a captain in the U.S. Army and a member of the Army Warrior Fitness Team, took second to Mason in their heat and placed third overall.
Event 3 Workout — “Ace of Spades”
Every 1:30 until failure or completion:
- Round 1: (0-1:30) 30 Double Unders + 3 Snatch (185/125 pounds)
- Round 2: (1:30-3:00) 30 Double Unders + 3 Snatch (205/135 pounds)
- Round 3: (3:00-4:30) 30 Double Unders + 3 Snatch (225/145 pounds)
- Round 4: (4:30-6:00) 30 Double Unders + 2 Snatch (235/155 pounds)
- Round 5: (6:00-7:30) 30 Double Unders + 2 Snatch (245/160 pounds)
- Round 6: (7:30-9:00) 30 Double Unders + 1 Snatch (255/165 pounds)
- Round 7: (9:00-10:30) 30 Double Unders + 1 Snatch (265/170 pounds)
- Round 8: (10:30-13:30) If you clear all bars…3:00 to find a max snatch
Event 3 Results
The second and final day of the competition opened up with some Olympic weightlifting as athletes were given three minutes to find a one-rep max snatch. However, each athlete would have to work their way through a snatch ladder that essentially acted like a warm-up.
Three of the men hit all-time personal bests. Magda set the tone early with a snatch of 322 pounds, while Denis Samsonov, known as the “Fittest Wizard,” finished with a lift of 305 pounds in the same heat, setting a new PR as well.
All eyes were on Morakinyo, who owns the second-heaviest lift in live competition, and he didn’t disappoint as he won the event with a lift of 325 pounds in his second-to-last lift. He gave 332 pounds a shot in his final lift but failed the attempt. He finished ahead of Magda and Samsonov, who placed second and third, respectively.
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For the women, it was expected that the competition would be between Kolenbrander and Scott, who were in the final heat. Kolenbrander won at the buzzer with a lift of 225 pounds, setting a new lifetime PR by five pounds. Scott completed a lift of 205 pounds to take third place.
Ellia Miller, a two-time “Fittest Military Service Member,” set a new lifetime PR with a lift of 215 pounds in the second heat to place second in the event.
Altogether, six women set snatch PRs.
Event 4 Workout — “Full House”
For time:
- 150-Foot Handstand Walk
- 50/40 Calorie Row
- 35 Wall Balls (20/14 Pounds) to 10-Foot target
- 50 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups
- 10 Devil’s Press (2 x 70/50 Pounds)
- 50 Toes to Bar
- 35 Wall Balls (20/14 Pounds) to 10-Foot Target
- 50/40 Calorie Row
- 150-Foot Handstand Walk
Event 4 Results
This final event of the competition was the longest programmed with a 22-minute time cap. The “chipper’ showcased some gymnastics and taxed the shoulders of the athletes who have been tested through the first three workouts.
Sprague won the event in the second heat with a time of 15:42, while Mason finished second in the heat with a time of 16:32, which was good enough for third place.
Morakinyo won the final heat and placed second in the event, just 10 points behind Magda for the overall lead.
For the women, it was Gazan who tracked down the time of Brittany Weiss from an earlier heat to secure the event win and a spot on the podium.
Nisler placed second in the heat and third overall, giving her a top-five finish in all four events to secure her overall victory.
Featured Image: @Zelosgames on Instagram
