After three days of what can only be described as a game of leaderboard ping-pong, Jayson Hopper is the 2025 CrossFit Games Fittest Man on Earth.
- Hopper fought his way to the top of the leaderboard for three straight days as the battle for the podium started the moment athletes stepped onto the competition floor.
Remind me: Going into the final day of competition, Hopper was in first place, 10 points ahead of Ricky Garard. Followed by James Sprague, who was in third with just a 13-point deficit. Just 87 points separated fourth and 10th place, setting up a major fight on Sunday for the top three spots.
Hopper has competed at the Games five times, with his best finish coming in 2024 when he took fourth place.
This season, he tried to qualify for the Games through the Mayhem Classic, but missed it by two spots. Hopper then qualified for the Games through the “In-Affiliate Semifinals,” where he took fourth place.
The former collegiate football player transitioned to CrossFit, winning the 2021 Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge.
“I was just thinking, no retries,” Hopper said in a post-event interview.
Some highlights from the 2025 CrossFit Games:
- Colten Mertens’ 570-pound back squat.
- Hopper’s pegboard domination on “E3: Climbing Couplet.”
- Adler’s arrival on “E1: Run/Row/Run” after withdrawing last year
- Hatfield’s career performance on the final day.
The first event of the day was a mean echo bike and yoke carry workout with a casual 30 deficit handstand pushups thrown in the middle, called ”IE8: Going Dark.” Austin Hatfield dominated the handstand pushups and found himself alone on the second yoke back to the echo bike. He took first, followed by Hopper and then Tudor Magda.
The final day: Heading into “IE09: Running Isabel,” Hopper led by 18 points over Garard. Sprague was 25 points back from Garard in third place.
It was one of the most exciting foot races of the weekend. Hopper and Sprague battled for second place all the way to the very last rep, but Hopper failed his last snatch, opening the door for Sprague.
- In the end, Hatfield took the event win, which put him into the last podium position heading into the final event of the weekend.
The point spread going into “IE10: Atlas,” the final event, made for a nail-biting start, with Hopper holding onto first place by only six points ahead of Garard. And Garard was only holding onto second by seven points ahead of Hatfield.
- The 100-foot overhead walking lunge to the finish was another iconic moment of the weekend as Hopper looked to go unbroken, but lost it on the final 10-foot segment. Justin Medeiros would end up taking the win.
The battle on the men’s side was one of the most exciting races in CrossFit history, but Hopper’s fight and tenacity put him on top.
- “The first couple of years, I wasn’t perfect with mistakes. I kept riding the previous events. This was a perfect opportunity to put whatever happened on Event 9 to the side. Full send. Whatever happens happens,” Hopper said.
The bottom line: Three days, 10 workouts, 30 athletes. One Fittest Man on Earth.
Next up for some of these athletes will be the World Fitness Project (WFP) later this month in Mesa, AZ. For others, it’ll be a much-deserved off-season.
Featured image: Scott Freymond
