Four Individual Performances in Miami You Might Have Missed

When it comes to competition, it’s hard not to focus on what’s happening at the top of the leaderboard. And so, in the case of this weekend at the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza in Miami, FL, it was all about the close battle between CrossFit Games veterans Emma Cary and Gabi Migala on the women’s side, and Ricky Garard’s repeat win on the men’s.

But there were many other, very fit athletes in Miami, who put forth important performances, performances that put their name on the map, performances that can go a long way in building their confidence and establishing themselves as true 2024 CrossFit Games contenders.

Four Athletes Who Made Waves in Miami

Julia Hannaford (12th): The Australian athlete started the competition with an event win, posting a 195-pound lift for the two-rep complex of one snatch plus one hang snatch, turning heads and having everyone asking who this Aussie athlete was.

• 22-year-old Hannaford is a two-time Semifinals athlete. She was eighth at the 2023 Oceania Semifinals and 20th at the 2022 Torian Pro Semifinals.
• After her event win in Miami on Day 1, Hannaford went on to log another top-10 performance on the final event of the weekend, ultimately placing 12th overall, beating Games athletes like Olivia Kerstetter, Fee Saghafi and Dani Speegle, as well as 2023 Australian Games rookie Emily De Rooy, in the process.

Andra Moistus (6th): Another big individual performance in Miami came from the Estonian athlete Andra Moistus, who placed sixth overall.

• A relative unknown, Moistus has been the top athlete from Estonia for the last five years during the Open, and she competed in her first Semifinals last season, finishing 35th in the competition for the European region.
• For Moistus to place sixth at Wodapalooza, including four top-10 finishes and an 11th, is huge for the 27-year-old, who has suddenly made a name for herself as we head into the 2024 season.

Jack Farlow (5th): The 21-year-old Canadian athlete Jack Farlow first turned heads in the summer when, as an unknown rookie, he won the Olympic Total test at the CrossFit Games by 21 pounds. He went on to place 27th at the Games.

• After that, we knew Farlow had the strength to compete with the best, but we didn’t know he was as well-rounded as he is until this weekend when Farlow hung with the likes of Brent Fikoswki, Pat Vellner and Sam Kwant the entire competition.
• Farlow finished Wodapalooza with three top-10 finishes and came in fifth overall—just 12 points behind Vellner, the Second Fittest Man in the World from 2023—letting the world know he has more than just pure strength.

Rebecka Vitesson (5th): Like Farlow, Sweden’s Rebecca Vitesson broke through in 2023 when she squeaked into 11th place and qualified to her first CrossFit Games out of the competition European Semifinals. She went on to place 25th in her rookie season.

• Vitesson looked like a more confident athlete in Miami this weekend, putting forth three top-10 finishes (and an 11th), helping her finish fifth overall, and making a clear statement that she’s even stronger than last season.

The big picture: Early season competitions like Wodapalooza are a great opportunity for athletes like Migala, Cary, Garard and Fikowki to take home a decent paycheck and set themselves up for a big season, but they’re also a perfect chance for up-and-comers to make a name for themselves, and ultimately establish that they’re on the list of athletes who belong on the world stage.

And after this year’s Wodapalooza, Julia Hannaford, Andra Moistus, Jack Farlow, and Rebecka Vitesson can be added to that list.