The Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) begins this Friday, June 13, and the formula is simple: Win and you’re headed to the 2025 CrossFit Games in Albany, NY.
- Only the top man and woman will earn a spot in the Games from the LCQ, finalizing the 30-athlete rosters. Check out who has qualified for the Games so far here.
Remind Me
The top 50 athletes from the In-Affiliate Semifinals who have not yet qualified for the CrossFit Games, along with the top 10 non-Games qualifying athletes from the 10 In-Person Qualifying Events, are eligible to compete in the LCQ.
Athletes will have five days to complete five workouts at an affiliate in good standing, with both a head judge and a floor judge overseeing their workouts. They will then need to submit their scores in the Hustle Up app and upload all their workout videos to YouTube.
- Note: The Hustle Up app leaderboard is still populating as athletes register and will remain open until Saturday, June 1, at 11:00 p.m. PDT.
However, the LCQ will not follow the same public video review process as the In-Affiliate Semifinals, Dave Castro explained on his Week in Review on YouTube on Monday.
- “[Hustle Up] is going to have their own standards, and they’re going to have their own way of running it,” Castro said. “We have been giving them a little advice and guidance, but it is not adhering to our standards for execution.”
Here’s who we think could come out on top this weekend.
The Men
Several veterans we’re used to seeing at the CrossFit Games have not yet earned an invitation to this summer’s Games, including Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson, Jonne Koski, Sam Kwant, Sam Cournoyer, and Travis Mayer.
Additionally, many aspiring rookies hope to earn their first invite, including Nate Ackermann, who narrowly missed qualifying for the Games after a controversial final workout at the Northern California Classic last weekend.
Two other athletes who we expect could factor in this weekend are 2023 Games athlete Fabian Beneito and 2023 and 2024 Games athlete Bayley Martin.
Our Pick: Jonne Koski
The nine-time CrossFit Games athlete has faced some bad luck in recent competitions, starting last season when he missed a Games invite by just one spot at the Europe Semifinals.
- The same thing happened to him at the Wodland Fest IPQE this season. He finished third, while two men qualified. More recently, Koski missed a Games invite by just two spots at the In-Affiliate Semifinals.
We’re predicting that, assuming he registers, the fourth time will be the charm for Koski this weekend, as he has the experience and has long proven himself in online competitions.
- In 2024, Koski became the first athlete to win both the Open and Quarterfinals in the same year. He also qualified for the CrossFit Games via the online Last Chance Qualifier in 2022.
The Women
Unlike the men, most of the veteran women we expected to qualify for the Games this summer have already done so.
One exception: Six-time Games veteran Emily Rolfe, who has been dealing with injuries in recent weeks.
- Rolfe withdrew from the last event at the WFP Tour Event I in Indianapolis, IN, in May due to a back injury, and last weekend, she did not compete in two events at the Northern California Classic. Ultimately, it remains unclear whether she will be healthy enough to compete this weekend, let alone perform at her best.
Two other veterans we’ll be watching closely include eight-time Games athlete Kristin Holte and three-time Games athlete Carolyne Prevost.
- Holte retired after the 2021 season but returned to competition at the 2024 Dubai Fitness Championships. She didn’t compete in the In-Affiliate Semifinals but finished seventh in this year’s CrossFit Open and narrowly missed qualifying for the Games last weekend when she placed fourth at the Northern California Classic.
- Prevost missed qualifying for the Games by just one spot last weekend at the Northern California Classic, and she ranked 25th in the In-Affiliate Semifinals. She also won both the Open and Semifinals this season in the Women’s 35-39-year-old division.
Three other athletes with Games experience – Sydney Wells, Caroline Stanley, Andrea Solberg, and Georgia Pryer – are also competing for the top spot this weekend.
Finally, like the men, several rookie women are eligible to compete this weekend who have performed well this season but haven’t quite done enough to earn their Games invitation, including Hannah Black, Erica Folo, and Reese Littlewood.
With that being said…
Our Pick: Andrea Solberg
Norway’s Solberg competed in the Games in 2020 and has come close to qualifying again multiple times since. She has been enjoying a great season thus far, particularly in the online competition format.
- Solberg ranked fourth in the world in the Open this season, 17th in the In-Affiliate Semifinals, and she won the World Fitness Project’s online Challenger Qualifier.
Additionally, Solberg placed 22nd at the WFP’s Tour Event I and sixth at last weekend’s Northern California Classic.
The Big Picture
Five workouts remain before we complete our 2025 CrossFit Games qualifying season, which has been the most grueling in the sport’s history.
Out of the 150 eligible men and 150 eligible women competing this weekend, we’re betting on Koski and Solberg to secure the last two spots.
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Featured Image: World Fitness Project
