Like many athletes this season competing for a chance to qualify for the 2025 CrossFit Games, Jennifer Muir faced three consecutive weekends of competition this spring.
Her first stop was the Wodland Fest in Málaga, Spain, where she completed Heavy Isabel by performing 30 split snatches (more on that later).
She then tackled the In-Affiliate Semifinals the following weekend. A week later, she stood atop the Challenger Division podium at the inaugural World Fitness Project, winning after three days of competition with a 72-point margin.
- Less than 24 hours later, as she was about to board a plane home to Scotland, she glanced at the Semifinal leaderboard. She was thrilled to see that her name had moved to an unofficial qualifying position for the Games.
Her sacrifices, dedication, and years of effort were finally paying off.
Lessons Learned in Málaga
When “Heavy Isabel” was released as part of Wodland Fest, Muir shared that she hadn’t snatched over 70 kilos (155 pounds) since before Christmas.
- “I’ve got an ongoing issue with hip collapse, and on top of that, I’d picked up a shoulder injury in December. The hip problem affects the shoulder, so snatching had basically been off the table for me – I was only doing very light technical work, nothing close to competition weight,” Muir said.
As soon as the workout was shared, she went straight to the gym to explore her options. She couldn’t power the bar; she couldn’t squat the bar – her hip kept collapsing, and she was failing the lift.
- “I remembered seeing Brent Fikowski do a split clean back when I was on his team at FitFest in 2023, and I thought: maybe I could try a split snatch,” Muir said.
She tried five reps the day before flying out to Spain, and “that was that,” she said.
- “I didn’t even know if I could do 30 in a row, but I couldn’t do anything else. It was split snatch or nothing,” Muir said.
She completed the workout, finishing in 8:54, just under the nine-minute time cap. The day after she returned home to Scotland, the In-Affiliate Semifinal workouts were released, and Heavy Isabel was back. She realized she needed a faster time than what she got at Wodland Fest to place in the top 11.
In less than a week, she developed a unique power snatch with a narrow set-up stance, something she learned from her experience at Wodland Fest, and finished with a time of 5:52, a PR of over three minutes.
- “If I hadn’t been forced to figure out the split snatch for Málaga, I never would have discovered that setup for powers, and I wouldn’t have hit the Semifinal time I did. That one moment changed everything – and now, here I am, with a Games spot,” Muir said.
A Tie for 11th
Sitting in the airport with her coach, boyfriend, agent, and friend, she discussed what was next; the CrossFit Games wasn’t even mentioned, as she had not qualified.
She checked social media and saw posts about the leaderboard changing at that very moment. Then, she noticed that she was tied for 11th place with Lucy McGonigle, who had just qualified at the French Throwdown.
- “We all started cheering and celebrating right there in the airport. I called my family, my best friends – I couldn’t believe it. It felt completely surreal,” Muir said.
In that initial moment, Muir shared that she was overwhelmed with excitement and joy. But then reality hit – she had to wait. The leaderboard wasn’t finalized yet, and for the next eight days, “I was crossing every finger and toe hoping nothing would change. Thankfully, it didn’t,” Muir said.
- “Qualifying for the Games has been a dream of mine since I started the sport. To finally achieve that – it’s just incredible. My coach said that the Games are a completely different level of competition, a whole new experience that you can’t fully understand unless you’re there. I’m really looking forward to learning from it, taking in everything I can, and hopefully using it to grow even more as an athlete,” Muir said.
The Bottom Line
When we spoke with Muir back in February, she shared her goals for the season with us: to qualify and excel at the World Fitness Project and to compete in the CrossFit Games for the first time – two things Muir can now cross off her list. Over the next two months, Muir will prep for both her Games debut and WFP Tour Event II in Mesa, Arizona.
More CrossFit Stories
- 8 Big Takeaways From a Jam-Packed “Super Semis” Weekend
- A Competition for Good: Dewey Beach Championship Gives Back
- After Eight Years of Almost: Anikha Greer Finally Qualifies for the CrossFit Games
Featured Image: Scott Freymond
