Claudia Gluck and Hattie Kanyo were on cloud nine in May when they secured their first-ever tickets to the 2024 CrossFit Games. For both women, it felt like it was a long time coming.
- “It’s amazing. I don’t have any other words. It’s just a dream come true,” Gluck told the Morning Chalk Up the week after she qualified at the Europe Semifinals. She had been trying to qualify as an individual since 2021.
Meanwhile, Kanyo, who made it to the Last Chance Qualifier in 2022 before admittedly burning herself out last season, told us, “It’s pretty amazing…I’m still just wondering if it’s a dream,” after she qualified from the North America West Semifinal.
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Gluck and Kanyo were largely looking to absorb the whole experience and appreciate being there when heading into Fort Worth, TX.
- “I’m excited about everything…to compete and just be a part of it and give it everything I have,” the 25-year-old Gluck said.
- “I just want to enjoy what I’m doing,” Kanyo, 32, told us. “We’ll see when I get there if it changes at all…but I think the biggest thing for me is just enjoying what I’m doing.”
At the time, neither one had any idea that doing the latter would become such a challenge.
Day 1: Tragedy Strikes
When Serbian competitor Lazar Đukić drowned during the first event of the 2024 CrossFit Games, it left all of the athletes in a position they never could have expected.
- After Đukić’s death, many athletes withdrew from the competition, including last year’s champions Jeff Adler and Laura Horvath.
By the end of the weekend, a total of 12 individual athletes and two teams pulled out of the competition, citing Đukić’s death as their reason. Interestingly, none of the 22 individual rookies was on that list.
Gluck explained that withdrawing was never on the table for her.
- “I did not [consider it]. I believe everyone made the best decision for themselves, and I more than respect that and hope the same way around,” she said. “I also did not feel like sharing on social media, because, for me, this was not the appropriate place.”
Kanyo admitted it did cross her mind, “but only because of all the opinions floating around.”
- “But when I stepped back and really thought about what I wanted, it was to compete. This was my first Games experience and it was the only way I knew how to try to find happiness in all the sadness,” she said.
That being said, competing proved to be an incredible challenge for both rookies, oftentimes leaving them to wonder how they were supposed to conduct themselves, considering the circumstances.
- “I kind of didn’t know how to react after winning my heat on the first workout in the Dickies Arena [on Friday],” Gluck said, calling the whole experience “heavy.”
She added: “But then I just looked up at my family and friends up there, sent them a heart as I always do, and kept on cheering on the other girls like I usually do.”
To get through it all, Gluck found it helpful to try to focus on the tests ahead and bond with other athletes.
Sharing hugs and conversations with people she never knew before the Games really helped, she explained.
- “I needed people around. People need people,” Gluck said.
Kanyo had a similar experience.
- “I did feel like it was weird to celebrate at first. I didn’t know how to react because I was still filled with so many emotions and hadn’t quite processed it all. I don’t think anyone avoided looking happy. It was just already super hard to be happy coming back from Thursday,” Kanyo said.
She added: “The vibes were somewhat [more normal] on Sunday. I feel like the momentum of each day helped with that, but there was obviously still sadness in the air.”
Looking Back, Moving Forward
At the end of the competition, both Gluck and Kanyo finished inside the top 20 — 12th and 18th, respectively — which is an impressive feat for any rookie.
Although neither has healed from the experience, both are looking forward to the 2025 season.
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Like many other athletes, Gluck is hoping to see change when it comes to prioritizing athlete safety in the future, but she also said, “I am more than hungry for the next season.”
As for Kanyo, she’s still processing the experience.
- “I’m not turned off, but I will say I felt lost and still do a bit,” she said. “Just trying to take it day-by-day, do some off-season competitions, and worry about next year when it gets closer.”
“My overall experience was a rollercoaster of emotions: positive, happy, exciting, into sad, weird, confusing, but then also trying to be super proud of myself at the same time,” she added.
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Featured image: @mjollnir_training / Instagram
