Josue Maldonado wasn’t into sports as a kid due to his limitations, so when he found CrossFit, his approach was to train and work out as “normal” as possible.
- That method has now paid off as Maldonado was just crowned Fittest Man on Earth in the Upper Extremity – 2 Points of the Contact Division at the 2024 Adaptive CrossFit Games by WheelWOD.
This was WheelWOD’s first year hosting the Adaptive CrossFit Games. In doing so, the organization expanded the competition to 15 divisions, a massive jump from eight the previous year.
- Maldonado placed second at the 2021 and 2022 CrossFit Games, his biggest competition being well-known adaptive athlete Casey Acree, who won the Games in the men’s Upper Extremity division from 2021 to 2023.
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Acree chose not to compete at the 2024 Adaptive CrossFit Games, paving the way for Maldonado to come out on top. On the flip side, however, the field of athletes in each division jumped from five to 10.
- “I can say that every day since I started doing CrossFit, I put in my mind that I was going to train so hard to try to be as fit as possible so I could be able to someday make it to the Games,” Maldonado told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
Maldonado, who hails from Puerto Rico, came into CrossFit and competed as an individual athlete for years before learning of the adaptive divisions and adaptive competitions in 2020 when he competed at Wodapalooza.
He’s been to the Games as an Adaptive athlete in person for two years in a row now.
- “I think in past years, [Adaptive athletes] were an extension of the Games. We were obviously not the main event,” Maldonado said. “But by changing that this year, that gave us all the opportunity to show the world what we can really do.”
He added that he missed Acree at the competition this year because he always brings the best out of him on the competition floor.
- “I feel fitter than ever and I want to show the world and make Puerto Rico and all the people that follow me proud,” Maldonado said prior to the competition last weekend.
Maldonado had a very strong competition weekend, winning four events. His worst finish was fifth place on Event 2: “Enter Sandman.”
- He finished 62 points ahead of the second-place finisher and took first in the last two workouts of the weekend.
Another benefit of this year’s separation of the Adaptive Division is a more specific impairment division breakdown.
Maldonado, for example, is in the Upper Extremity – 2 Points of the Contact Division this year. He previously competed in the Men’s Upper Extremity Division, which included individuals completely missing an arm and individuals with both arms (but limited use).
Maldonado’s impairment is a birth defect and leaves him with limited use of his right arm.
- “The doctors told my mom that I was not going to be able to use my arm at all, so being able to prove them wrong and exceed the expectation that they have for me has been a lot of years of work to get where I am right now,” he said.
In 2023, Maldonado was disqualified from the Games for not fitting the Adaptive Division enough. He says CrossFit HQ told him he could compete on a team or as an individual, which mystified him as he struggles to do anything overhead.
However, his return to competition this year has proven Maldonado does belong as an Adaptive athlete and his limitations have only driven him to work harder and be a better athlete.
- “I’m back and I’m back to prove them wrong,” he added.
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Featured image: @josue_maldonado18 / Instagram
