2021 CrossFit Games: five athletes who could upset the natural order in Madison
- Without Mat Fraser, the men’s field is wide open and there are some athletes who could come out of the blue
- Tia-Clair Toomey is favoured to win the women’s division, but if there is a chance of an upset who might that rival be?
The men’s field is the most wide open in over a decade with the retirement of five-time champion Mat Fraser, and the women’s division looks like a lock more than any other year. Of course, every season there is always the possibility for upsets and dark horses to emerge.
Here are five athletes who could make serious waves from July 25 to August 1 in Madison, Wisconsin.
Chandler Smith
The fan favourite has had some bad luck over the years in qualifying and making the big dance. Last year must have been the toughest heartbreak for the American as he found himself narrowly outside the final five who got to go to the famed CrossFit Ranch in Aromas, California.
One thing of note is that Chandler was CrossFit Games mastermind Dave Castro’s guinea pig for the final events that took place at the ranch. This year, the 28-year-old should finally get a chance to flex his massive muscles over an extended tournament and see if he can rise to the challenge. He regularly trains with the best in the world, including Noah Ohlsen and Katrin Davidsdottir, so he knows what it takes to be right at the top.
Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson
The 28-year-old Icelander is probably not a long shot, but for some reason he seems to have slipped under the radar this season. Last year, he was as almost as close as Smith to making the final five, but he told the Post he may have let his training slide during the initial stages of the pandemic.
“BKG”, as he is known, often trains alone in his native Iceland, but he’s also found his way onto the podium during the “Mat Fraser era”, finishing third in 2015 and 2019. He is an incredibly consistent athlete who has often been regarded as good, but not great. Now that Fraser is gone, can “BKG” capitalise on his experience?
Samuel Cournoyer
CrossFit in Canada has long been synonymous with two veteran names: Patrick Vellner and Brent Fikowski. Many have these two as favourites to win it all this year, but there is a youngster who will most definitely take the torch for the Canucks moving forward.
Along with Smith and Gudmundsson, Cournoyer was ‘close but no cigar’ in making the final five last season, and the 25-year-old has largely operated in the shadows of bigger names. He came 35th at the 2019 CrossFit Games during a strange and controversial edition that saw cuts and country champions, but he also got valuable experience in terms of what it is like to compete at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Last season it was another quiet, up and coming Canadian, Jeffrey Adler, who overperformed and found his way into the top five, so will the sport’s Canadian contingent continue to produce athletes at the upper echelon of the sport?
Four men who could win the 2021 CrossFit Games
Brooke Wells
If anyone has an especially bitter taste from the 2020 CrossFit Games, it’s American Brooke Wells. The 25-year-old six-time CrossFit Games finalist got all the way to the final five women last season at the ranch, and then had a disastrous few days and was unable to capitalise on a strong Open performance and overall season despite Covid-19.
There is a lot of upside with Wells heading into the 2021 edition. She will definitely be motivated to wash the memory of last year’s finals away with a stand-out performance. She is also young and has lots of runway left in her prime competing days, and recently made a coaching switch and is now training alongsideTia-Clair Toomey, along with her husband and coach Shane Orr.
Wells could be one to watch given she knows what it takes to keep pace with the best. If she can stay with Toomey and peak at the right moment, we could have an upset for the ages.
Roman Khrennikov
The dark horse of all dark horses. The Russian has had visa issues getting into the US for years, but consistently ranks among the elite whenever he travels to a competition in another country. A number of his fellow countrymen have already declared they will not be making the games this year due to visa issues, but there is no official word on Knrennikov yet.
One wonders if he actually does make the US, will he compete well on foreign soil, potentially battling jet lag, or will this fire up the quiet Russian even more? Here’s hoping new CEO Eric Roza and company at CrossFit Inc. have some pull with the US government because having him would definitely make things a lot more fun.
