The first week of the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open started in a country that has seen CrossFit boom over the last few years.
The CrossFit community in Spain gathered in Madrid at the Caja Mágica Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 16, to celebrate the start of the Open and to represent their country on the big stage. Thousands of people from around the world tuned in online to witness the announcement of Open Test 23.1.
Three affiliate owners from several of Spain's most influential affiliates were given the honor of opening the envelopes and announcing the first test to the world.
Fransisco Ruiz, Uwe Henningsmeyer, and Jennifer Lopez Announcing 23.1 | Photo by @wongsdottir
Immediately following the announcement, four athletes from these affiliates were the first to throw down in 23.1. Camila Granizo from CrossFit Wezone PAC, Luis Fernandez from Full CrossFit, Carlos Del Arco Troncoso from CrossFit Wezon PAC, and Antonio Sanchez Carrascosa from CrossFit Coraje took on the 14-minute AMRAP in front of a live audience.
"This (moment) is very special. Being able to celebrate the growth of CrossFit in Spain is amazing," Fernandez told announcer Lauren Smith before the start of the workout.
Next to take the floor were four esteemed Games athletes: Lazar Dukic, Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, Laura Horvath, and Gabi Migala. See how it all played out below.
REWATCH THE LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT OF 23.1
The CrossFit community was then tasked to take on Open Test 23.1 in their affiliates and garage gyms across the globe.
CrossFit Boqueirao | Photo by Joy Silva
Open Test 23.1
Open Test 23.1 was a repeat of 14.4.
23.1
Complete as many reps as possible in 14 minutes of:
60-calorie row
50 toes-to-bars
40 wall-ball shots
30 cleans
20 muscle-ups
Jonathan Kinnick of btwb: "Our community is a lot better at muscle-ups now than it was in 2014. Both men and women did better at the muscle-ups on 23.1 compared to 14.4. For the men, 38% got at least one muscle-up this time compared to 34% last time. Similarly, the women saw an increase from 8% to 10%. This is even more impressive if you realize that nearly three times as many athletes did 23.1 than did 14.4.
"During 23.1, more than 9,000 women and 45,000 men performed at least one ring muscle-up.
"Looking at the best of the best, it took 212 reps for the men and 189 reps for the women to be in the 99th percentile on 14.4. But on 23.1 athletes needed 244 and 198 reps, respectively, to achieve the same level of performance."
23.1 at CrossFit Marrickville | Photo by Ruby Wolff
A Field of Over 300,000
Registration for the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open came to a close on Monday, and 322,000 athletes are registered to compete in the worldwide celebration of fitness.
This is one of the best times of year for affiliates, as they bring the community together with Friday Night Lights, intramural competitions, and more.
Here are the affiliates with the most 2023 Open registrations:
- Africa: Motley Crew CrossFit — 233
- Asia: Interval Plus CrossFit — 217
- Europe: Full CrossFit — 457
- Oceania: CrossFit Torian — 217
- South America: SuperForce CrossFit — 437
- North America East: CrossFit Hendersonville — 301
- North America West: CrossFit Fort Vancouver — 235
A Week of PRs and Firsts
The Open is a time of year when athletes can truly test their fitness. It gives athletes an opportunity to retest themselves on movements they have been practicing all year and set new goals.
Since 23.1 was a retest from a previous Open, many athletes had a score to beat and an opportunity to showcase how much fitness they’ve gained since 2014.
For others, this workout allowed them to achieve their first ring muscle-up, first toes-to-bar, or to complete sets of heavy cleans for the first time.
Who Topped the Leaderboard After Week 1?
RX Women: Emma Cary
After cutting her 2022 season short to heal a back injury, 18-year-old Emma Cary has returned and is already taking over the leaderboard. With a score of 269 reps, Cary secures the win for Open Test 23.1, two points ahead of Mal O'Brien, after penalties were assessed. This will be her second career Open test win. Her first was in 21.2 when she was just 16 years old and became the all-time youngest Open test winner.
RX Men: Roman Khrennikov
Third-fittest man on Earth Roman Khrennikov has added his first career Open test win to his resume, topping the men's leaderboard with a score of 306. He set himself up nicely heading into the live announcement of Open Test 23.2, when he’ll compete head-to-head with Patrick Vellner this week.
Scaled Women: Zohreh Rasouli
Iran's Zohreh Rasouli tops the women's scaled leaderboard finishing a total of 400 reps. According to her athlete profile, this is Rasouli's second Open.
Scaled Men: Willie Murphy III
Willie Murphy III tops the men's scaled leaderboard with a score of 400 reps. Murphy is a member of Fulcrum CrossFit in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
Foundations Women: Ana Paula Ferreira Claro
Brazil's Ana Paula Ferreira Claro topped the women's foundations leaderboard with a score of 400. This is her first CrossFit Open, according to her athlete profile.
Foundations Men: Elionaid Torres
Sixteen-year-old Elionaid Torres from Jibaros CrossFit in Puerto Rico finished Open Test 23.1 with a score of 400 reps in the foundations division.
Check out the Open leaderboard for a list of all winners from each division.
Next Up: Open Test 23.2
We are already in the second week of the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open.
The announcement of Open Test 23.2 will be broadcast live from CrossFit Bison in Midland Park, New Jersey, on Thursday, Feb. 23, presented by Chipotle.
Immediately after 23.2 is revealed, Khrennikov will face Vellner in the live announcement matchup.