Opinion | CrossFit Games 2020: what do Canadians Patrick Vellner and Brent Fikowski do now?
- The two Canadian CrossFit stars looked primed for comeback performances, so where do they stand now?
Both found themselves challenging four-time CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser, who started his reign in 2016. Vellner, 30, came third in 2016 and 2017, and second in 2018. Fikowski, 29, came fourth in 2016 and 2018, and second in 2017.
If anyone was going to steal the crown from Fraser heading into last year, it looked to be one of these two Canucks. But 2019 was the start of what has become a disastrous slide for both as they try to regain past form.
The changes CrossFit introduced in 2019 threw everyone for a loop. Regionals were gone, Sanctionals were in, country champions were crowned and every athlete was forced to adjust to a new format overnight. Then when the Games took place last August in Madison, Wisconsin, cuts came down hard, and the two Canadians found themselves on the outside looking in.
Vellner’s 19th in the sprint at the 2019 CrossFit Games cost him a chance to challenge Fraser, as he finished 16th. Fikowski’s 28th in the Mary cost him and he ended up 23rd overall. Many pundits feel that CrossFit Games director Dave Castro’s cuts were ill-timed and quite possibly eliminated athletes who should have made it through.