The fans attending Wodapalooza in Miami this February will be in for an atmosphere that could resemble the CrossFit Games itself. That’s because the organizers have now added three big names to the athlete list on the men’s side of the field.
Patrick Vellner, Ben Smith, and Noah Ohlsen will all be in action which makes one of the more anticipated Sanctionals on the schedule even bigger. The athletes were announced on the WZA Instagram page over the course of the last seven days.
While all three men have been stars in the sport for quite some time, they aren’t living off of their past glory and have recent success which keeps them at their positions in the sport. All three men are actually already qualified for the Games now that the Open results have been made official. Vellner is the 2020 CrossFit Open Champion which obviously earned him his spot in Madison. Aside from that achievement, he has finished 2nd at the Games in 2018 and in 3rd place twice. He is actually also the defending WZA Champion, winning the event last year.
Of course Smith is the 2015 Fittest Man on Earth but he has rebounded well from a surgery in early 2019. He earned his spot at this year’s Games by finishing 28th at the Open. After the National champions have been taken out of the results, he earned the final Top 20 qualifying position.
As for Ohlsen, he placed 6th at the Open which allowed him to compete this summer on the biggest event in CrossFIt. In spite of a rough start in 2019, he was the runner-up to champion Mat Fraser at the 2019 Games.
Thanks to all three being qualified for the 2020 Games, they could all finish on the podium and it still wouldn’t take away a qualifying spot. The highest finisher at Wodapalooza that doesn’t yet have a spot will earn his ticket in Miami. As for Vellner, Smith, and Ohlsen, they could be competing for the money, love of competition, or just to gauge how they perform in a contest atmosphere.
Stay tuned to BarBend for more updates about Wodapalooza as they develop.
Featured Image: Instagram/wodapalooza
