The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open has come to a close. Congratulations to all the athletes who participated. Whether you made it within the top 10% on the unofficial leaderboard, PR’d a workout, or joined the Open for the first time, this is a challenge worth celebrating.
This week, we saw the return of the wall walk in an elimination-style test. To help close out the final week of the 2023 Open, 23.3 was announced live from eight-time CrossFit Games athlete Stacie Tovar’s affiliate, CrossFit Omaha.
After the announcement of the final test, the microphone was handed over to Competition Director Adrian Bozman, who left the community with some wise words before tackling the workout.
“The most important thing is that you guys are part of a culture that embraces challenge and celebrates effort over absolute placement on the leaderboard,” he said.
First to take on the test were two CrossFit Level 2 trainers from CrossFit Omaha, Matt Watt and Korie Kammerer. Both athletes finished the first part under the 6-minute time cap and were granted another three minutes to flip upside down and complete the strict handstand push-ups. By the time the clock read nine minutes, Kammerer had finished 12 and Watt all 20 strict handstand push-ups.
Next to take the floor were two esteemed CrossFit Games athletes, second-Fittest Woman on Earth Mal O’Brien and four-time Games athlete Danielle Brandon. In true Games-athlete fashion, the two women bolted up and down the wall and were already finished with the first round in about three minutes. O’Brien secured her lead heading into the second round, cranking out the 20 handstand push-ups in just three sets. She finished Open Test 23.3 well under the 12-minute time cap at 7:58. Brandon finished two minutes later at 10:20.
For the final few days of the Open, the CrossFit community joined together in a race against the clock.
Open Test 23.3
5 wall walks
50 double-unders
15 snatches (weight 1)
5 wall walks
50 double-unders
12 snatches (weight 2)
*If completed before the 6-minute time cap, add 3 minutes to the time cap and complete:
20 strict handstand push-ups
50 double-unders
9 snatches (weight 3)
*If completed before the 9-minute time cap, add 3 minutes to the time cap and complete:
20 strict handstand push-ups
50 double-unders
6 snatches (weight 4)
♀ 65 lb, 95 lb, 125 lb, 155 lb
♂ 95 lb, 135 lb, 185 lb, 225 lb
Jonathan Kinnick of btwb: “Strict handstand push-ups are one of the most difficult movements tested in CrossFit. Impressively, of the athletes who got beyond the 6-minute time cap, 99% of the men and 96% of the women were able to do at least one strict handstand push-up. In contrast, only 55% of the men and 49% of the women who made it to the strict handstand push-ups were able to complete 20 reps in the extra 3 minutes they had available.
“During 23.3 more than 12,000 women and 39,000 men were able to perform at least one strict handstand push-up.
“Looking at the score distribution for Rx’d individuals 16-54, we see the largest concentration of both men and women finishing the test on the second set of double-unders or the 12 snatches.”
Community Highlights
This Is What the Open Is All About
Doing YOUR best and having fun.
Sandra, a member of the Lummi tribe, and her husband Jim, a member of the Nooksack tribe, are part of the backbone of the CrossFit i1uvit community.
At CrossFit i1uvit’s Friday Night Lights, Sandra took on 23.3 and was the last one standing in her heat.
Surrounded by her friends and family, they cheered her on until the very end.
“Absolutely Love the Community of CrossFit”
Sidney Wilson: "This is the first Open I actually signed up for since 2019.
“I train CrossFit at max 3 times a week, so I just wanted to see where I stood. Thanks to my coach @madhatterscoach for being patient and working around my bodybuilding training, school schedule and work schedule. Maybe next year I’ll be better prepared."
“Wall Walks!! AGAIN!”
CrossFit Connect: “So I guess they are a thing now. Love them or hate them, they are here to stay. 23.3 was short and sweet for most of us, but I'm quite sure our shoulders were happy with that!
“The Open has come to a close once again and as always its been a blast. We've seen tears, tantrums and torn hands, but we've also had smiles, hugs and high fives. We've seen some of you step out of your comfort zone to enter for the first time, and we've seen some of you enter to better yourselves from previous years. But one thing is for sure, we've all done it side by side whatever part of your journey you are on, and that is why we all love CrossFit. See you next year…”
23.3 Winners
Rx’d Women: Dani Speegle
Four-time Games athlete Dani Speegle has won her first Open event. She finished all 292 reps in a time of 7:12, 10 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Brooke Wells.
Rx’d Men: Tola Morakinyo
Joining Team PRVN for the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games season, Tola Morakinyo showed his dominance in Open Test 23.3, winning his first Open event alongside Speegle with a time of 7:44.
Scaled Women: Ericka Alexandre
Ericka Alexandre from Unité CrossFit in France finished 23.3 scaled with a tiebreak time of 2:03. This is her first Open, according to her athlete profile.
Scaled Men: Reda El Azzouzi
Reda El Azzouzi from Morroco, Africa, finished all 292 reps of the scaled version of Open Test 23.3 with a tiebreak time of 2:10. This is also Azzouzi’s first CrossFit Open, according to his athlete profile.
Foundations Women: Rebecca Rosenow
Thirty-three-year-old Rebecca Rosenow completed the foundations version of Open Test 23.3 with a time of 4:29, topping the leaderboard.
Foundations Men: Baptiste Linet
Baptiste Linet has topped the foundations leaderboard for Open Tests 23.1, 23.2A, and now 23.3 with a time of 3:57.
The (Unofficial) Overall Winners of the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Open
Note: These tables are based off of the unofficial leaderboard. Scores have not been finalized by the CrossFit Games team yet.
Individual
| Men | Women |
|---|---|
| Jeffrey Adler | Mallory O’Brien |
Masters
| Division | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 35-39 | Joe Scali | Lee Keyrouz |
| 40-44 | Gensen Palmer | Jenn Ryan |
| 45-49 | Fernando Gonçalves | Gabriela Azevedo |
| 50-54 | Jason Leeves | Cheryl Brost |
| 55-59 | Kevin Koester | Alexia Fineman |
| 60-64 | Stuart Swanson | Bianca Williams |
| 65+ | Freddie Cherry | Pauline Sciascia |
Teen
| Division | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 14-15 | Kūlani Subiono | María Granizo |
| 16-17 | Isaiah Weber | Olivia Kerstetter |
Adaptive
| Division | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Extremity | Casey Acree | Christina Mazzullo |
| Lower Extremity | Rogan Dean | Bayleigh Hooper |
| Multi-Extremity | Chris Rhyme | Noelle Henderson |
| Vision | Chris Fair | Mary Colin |
| Short Stature | Mike Witous | Erin Popovich |
| Seated With Hip Function | Tom Miazga | Amalia Ortuño |
| Seated Without Hip Function | Simon Farre | Andrea Wilson |
| Intellectual | Ricky Landgraff | Hailey Melakian |
Team
CrossFit East Nashville PRVN
Up Next: Quarterfinals
The top 10% of athletes and the top 25% of teams from the Open will advance to the virtual Quarterfinals to vie for a ticket to the Semifinal stage. You can view the cutline tables on the Quarterfinals overview page.
During Quarterfinals, the heat gets turned up. Athletes will be asked to complete one or two advanced workouts every day for three days.
It all starts in just a few short weeks. The 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games Quarterfinals will take place from March 16 - April 2.
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Featured Image: CrossFit Driv | Photo by flsportsguy photography