Who’s Missing From the 2024 CrossFit Games Roster?
The 2024 CrossFit Games roster in the Individual division consists of a good mixture of veterans and rookies representing CrossFit’s global reach, including athletes returning for a ninth, 10th, and, in Cole Sager and Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson’s case, 11th time.
Some are headed to Fort Worth for a comeback season after missing out last year. Others, meanwhile, have finally pushed through and will make their Games debut after years of getting so close.
However, plenty of high-profile athletes who qualified for the 2023 Games won’t be returning this year and will instead watch the competition go down as spectators.
- One big thing: Of the men who competed at last year’s Games, 24 will return this year. On the women’s side, only 19 made the cut.
Women’s Field — Who’s Missing?
Katrin Davisdottir — Before the Europe Semifinal, Davidsdottir announced she would take the season off due to a back injury.
- In late May, she had surgery and has been posting about her road to recovery.
Emma Cary — Shortly after winning 2024’s TYR Wodapalooza, Cary announced she would sit out this season, citing personal reasons.
- After TYR WZA, she posted that she was taking a step back from competition, choosing to focus on her religion while still training at CrossFit Mayhem.
Annie Thorisdottir — Annie and her partner Frederik Aegidius welcomed their second child two months ago.
Kelly Baker — Kelly Baker shared in early spring that she and her husband were struggling with fertility issues.
- In an interview with Morning Chalk Up, Baker discussed this at length and expressed that she needed time away from competition to focus on her family.
Ellie Turner — During the 2024 CrossFit Open, Turner posted on social media that she would not be pursuing the remainder of the season.
- She cited issues with physical and mental health and shared that while she was sitting out of the official CrossFit season, she still intended to compete later on in the year.
Rebecka Vitesson — During the Europe Semifinal, Vitteson suffered a knee injury that was later discovered to be a torn ACL.
- This was a major point of discussion and debate amongst fans as Vitesson continued to compete even after being injured on the competition floor. She subsequently had surgery on her knee and is in recovery.
Baylee Rayl — Rayl chose to take the season off, also citing personal reasons.
- Instead, she plans to visit coffee shops and gyms throughout the United States, coaching and connecting with the greater community.
Alexia Williams, Michelle Basnett, Christine Kolenbrander, and Shahad Budebs all announced that they would be sitting the season out due to injuries.
Fee Saghafi, Olivia Kerstetter, and Amanda Barnhart all failed to qualify for the Games out of their Semifinals.
Paige Powers and Sydney Wells were both hit with major penalties during Quarterfinals video review.
Jamie Simmonds, Matilde Garnes, Ella Wunger, and Emily de Rooy will return to the 2024 Games; however, they will compete in the Team division.
Men’s Field — Who’s Missing?
Will Moorad — While competing at the North America East Semifinal, Moorad suffered a hip injury in Event 2.
Nick Mathew — Like Paige Powers and Sydney Wells, Mathew was hit with a major penalty during Quarterfinals that knocked him out of contention for Semifinals.
Ant Haynes — Due to a biceps tendon tear during the Far East Throwdown, Haynes was not able to qualify.
- He took 14th and, despite the injury, finished out the weekend of competition.
Uldis Upenieks and Bronislaw Olenkowicz — Despite winning events at the Europe Semifinal, both men fell below the Games-qualifying cutline.
Spencer Panchik, Jonne Koski, Fabian Beneito, Jack Farlow, David Shorunke, Alex Vigneault, Michal Wesolowski, Kaique Cerveney, Colten Mertens, and Jake Douglas all missed out on qualifying at their Semifinals.
Noah Ohlsen and Chandler Smith — Ohlsen and Smith will be competing on separate teams in the Team Division.
- On the men’s side, 12 of the 16 men not returning failed to qualify out of Semifinals or Quarterfinals this year. However, that number is only five out of 21 on the women’s side. More women than men have suffered injuries or have made the choice to sit the season out.
The Big Picture
Only 43 of the 80 individual athletes from the 2023 Games will compete this year: one woman less and one man more than last year. Of the 2022 competitors, 43 of 79 returned in 2023.
The similarities between these two years are worth noting, especially considering that from 2021 to 2022, there was only a 10% drop in returning athletes at the Games.
More CrossFit News
- Is This the Final Year for Teams at the CrossFit Games?
- How Big Are CrossFit Games Athletes’ Legs? We Got Answers From Justin Medeiros, Arielle Loewen, and More
- Who Won the 2024 CrossFit Games Season So Far?
Featured image: Sara Ines Chew