We're at the Games for the second consecutive year.
We're relaunching our series The Daily Show with a recap video in which we show what athletes experience at the most anticipated event of the year.
The Daily Show | Episode 01
Here's the first episode: the recap of the athletes' check-in.
You can see them trying on our sets. With these colors, this will probably be the most colorful Games in history.
👉 See Crossfit Games 2026 x VELITES collection
Between jokes and nerves, veterans who have been through this ten times meet those experiencing their first Games. Excitement and eagerness for it all to start.
Day 1 at the Games: how the opening day unfolded
The Daily Show | Episode 02
Seven events, not a second to rest. We review how the start of this special 20th edition went.
Event 1 | 2007 Hopper
1,000m row + 5 rounds of 25 pull-ups and 7 push jerks.
A direct nod to the origins of the competition that we already saw in the first edition.
- Top 5 women: Madeline Sturt, Lucy Campbell, Aline Wirz, Haley Adams, Danielle Brandon.
- Top 5 men: Jay Crouch, Colten Mertens, Saxon Panchik, Calum Clements, Justin Medeiros.
Our athlete Calum Clements didn't beat around the bush: 4th place in the first event, hanging on the bar with his Quad Pro.
👉 See Crossfit Games 2026 x VELITES collection
- 19 years later (men): in 2007 Brett Marshall won with 13:07. This year, Jay Crouch did it in 7:11.22. Almost 6 minutes faster on the exact same workout.
- 19 years later (women): in 2007 Jolie Gentry won with 16:22. This year, Madeline Sturt did it in 8:03.48. More than 8 minutes difference.
7,200m trail run through the terrain where all of this was born in 2007.
The longest event of the day.
- Top 5 women: Madeline Sturt, Lucy Campbell, Aline Wirz, Haley Adams, Danielle Brandon.
- Top 5 men: Ricky Garard, James Sprague, Jay Crouch, Jeffrey Adler, Roman Khrennikov.
The moment of the day: Ricky Garard, leader of the race, crossed paths head-on with James Sprague on the return stretch and threw him a wet towel. Sprague responded with a finger, without stopping running. A moment of healthy rivalry.
Events 3, 4 and 5 | The CrossFit Total
Back squat, shoulder press and deadlift for a one-rep max. Three pure strength tests, scored separately.
- In Back Squat, Kyra Milligan took first place in the women's with 370 lb (168 kg), and Colten Mertens led the men with 555 lb (252 kg).
- In Shoulder Press, Alex Gazan led with 170 lb (77 kg) and Colten Mertens repeated victory with 260 lb (118 kg).
- In Deadlift, Aimee Cringle won with 425 lb (193 kg), while Patrick Vellner, the most veteran of the test, prevailed with 605 lb (274 kg).
New record: Alex Gazan returns strong after the car accident that left her out of the Games last year. She broke the record in Shoulder Press and closed the Total at 920 lb (417 kg), surpassing the record held by Tia Clair Toomey Orr (890 lb).
In the men's category, Colten Mertens also broke the record in the Shoulder Press and took the best total score of the three lifts, totaling 1,380 lb (626 kg) and thus signing the new men's Total record. A true tribute to his nickname, "Iron Hog".
Event 6 | Grass Oval Bicycle Race
20 laps around the grass oval. The perfect finish to fully burn out the legs after the run and the Total.
Winners: Moritz Fiebig (men) and Aimee Cringle (women), who thus added her third win of the day.
Event 7 | Swim Standard
Descending ladder, for time:
- 200m swim + 40 burpees
- 150m swim + 30 burpees
- 100m swim + 20 burpees
- 50m swim + 10 burpees
A brutal closing of the day that left several athletes with cramps.
- Lucy Campbell, with a background as a swimmer, took it being the only one to go under 11 minutes.
- Among the men, Ty Jenkins was the fastest (11:09), 14 seconds ahead of Justin Medeiros.
