On Thursday evening, during the announcement for CrossFit Open Workout 20.1, fans around the globe learned the name of the newest member of CrossFit Mayhem Freedom: Scott Panchik.
And just to reiterate the point, team leader and 4-time Fittest Man on Earth Rich Froning took to Twitter to post an official announcement with Panchik.
ICYMI: @ScottPanchik joins Team @CrossFitMayhem as their newest team member! @richfroning pic.twitter.com/jbgZXFohic
— Rogue Fitness (@RogueFitness) October 11, 2019
As the leader of CrossFit Mayhem Freedom, which trains out of Cookeville, Tennessee, Froning has put together one dominant roster after another. That’s resulted in multiple Team titles — and one surprise second-place finish — at the CrossFit Games, including a resounding win in 2019.
Over the past year, loosened geographic restrictions on how teams could recruit athletes further opened the door for “superteams” like Mayhem Freedom to pick and choose from the sport’s best. Panchik currently lives and trains in Ohio.
The announcement comes just a few months after the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games, when Mayhem Freedom team member Dre Strohm announced he’d be retiring from competition. Though many had wondered who would replace Strohm — who proved to be incredibly consistent and a model of poise during the 2019 Games season — Panchik is an athlete whose resume lives nothing to doubt. Simply put, it’s difficult to identify any significant weaknesses in his fitness game.
He also has team experience, having competed in that division in both 2014 and 2016.
Panchik burst onto the scene in 2012 and started his Games career with back-to-back 4th place finishes. He’s been a consistent podium threat ever since, though he has yet to crack the Individual top 3 ranks during his career. Panchik recorded yet another 4th place finish at the 2019 Games, and his younger brother, Saxon Panchik, finished in 9th place overall.
The CrossFit Open kicked off on Thursday, October 10th and runs for five weeks. The Sanctional qualification season for the 2020 Reebok CrossFit Games begins almost immediately after in November.
Featured image: @scottpanchik on Instagram
