No team has ever won four-straight events in CrossFit Games history. 

“Hold my beer,” CrossFit Mayhem Freedom said. 

Then the team won five.

It’s no surprise that the four-time Affiliate Cup champion team was atop the leaderboard after Day 1. The team had banked a record-breaking four back-to-back event wins the day before. But on Day 2, the Cookeville, Tennessee team extended its streak even further, tallying five consecutive event wins.

Meanwhile, another team was making history of another kind.

Heading into Day 2, Pro1 Montreal had the second-best start in Games team history with a total of 379 points out of a possible 400 after four events — 5 points more than the record Mayhem Freedom set in 2018.

With the first round of cuts looming at Day 2’s end, teams were desperate to grasp the points needed to see another day of competition. Sitting right at the cutline at the start of Day 2 were Blueprint CrossFit, Koda CrossFit, and 12 Labours CrossFit, in 29th, 30th, and 31st place, respectively. The top 30 teams will advance to the next day of competition. 

Read on for highlights from each event and to find out which teams will compete on Day 3. 

Event 5/6

4 rounds for time:

4 synchro rope climbs (W1/M1) | 200/250-m ski (W2/M2)

4 synchro rope climbs (W2/M2) | 200/250-m ski (W1/M1)

42-ft. Bob hand-over-hand pull, W/M pairs

Rest 2 min. before continuing on to Event 6

Then, 4 rounds of:

Run the field and back to Bob (all 4 teammates)

2 athletes (W1/M1) push 1 length

Time cap: 25 min. 

Event 5 Highlights

Thirty-two rope climbs, 1,250/1,000 SkiErg calories, and a pull distance of 168 feet on the Bob. That was the total work capacity in Event 5 — the first event of Day 2. 

Teams 12 Labours and Koda CrossFit were teetering on the cutline, and every second and rep counted. 

Koda CrossFit and 12 Labours began the day in Heat 1, and it was clear they desired a win. It was a race for first throughout the entirety of the workout. 

12 Labours demonstrated how height played a factor in this event. At just 5-feet-1, Heather Smith had to focus on long pulls on the Ski-erg and rope to stay in sync with her partner. But despite the challenge, the pair communicated their transitions well, climbing the rope and arriving at the Bob almost simultaneously and saving precious time needed to win the heat. And that they did, crossing the finish line at 14:19.06.

Heading into Heat 2, Invictus team member Jenn Ryan entered the field with a broken right hand — an injury she sustained at the CrossFit West Coast Classic — which may have cost the team a spot at the top of the leaderboard thus far. Competing in such a grip-heavy event meant Ryan had to focus on using her lower body and left hand as much as possible to avoid more injuries. The team finished at 15:16.00, good for a 25th-place finish.

Athletes were, quite literally, on each other's heels trying to get the most pull on the Bob in Heat 3, and every detail matters when it comes to pulling the 667-lb. sled. I1uvit was controlled and communicative and took the heat win, setting a new time to beat at 13:54.22. This still kept 12 Labours with the second-best time heading into the third heat, but that time did not stand for long. CrossFit Reignited ILM snatched the top time of the heat at 13:13.11.

Fans cheered wildly as CrossFit Mayhem Freedom took the field in the final heat. The team continued to break their own records made just the day before with another event win, taking first with a time of 12:14:81 and adding another event to their now five consecutive event-win record. 

Pro1 Montreal struggled to hold its early lead in the event and finished 19th, bumping the team out of the second-place spot on the leaderboard. 

Event 6 Highlights

Athletes were given just a 2-minute pause between Events 5 and 6, but teams who finished Event 5 early reaped the benefit of an extended rest time. Teams used the short break to strategize their next moves. 

There was no need to wait for football season to watch Ohio and Michigan fight. In Heat 3, a battle between Decorum CrossFit from Lima, Ohio, and 8th Day CrossFit from Grand Rapids, Michigan, raged on the field, and Michigan took the win. 8th Day CrossFit placed first in the heat with a time of 2:05:55, just four seconds faster than Decrom CrossFit.

Team Mayhem Freedom, fueled from the energy of their previous event win, made the Bob look easy. But after the event, captain Rich Froning admitted that the gym does not have a Bob. The closest equipment in their training? A sled. 

“(The Bob) is really hard,” Froning said after Event 6. 

Apparently not hard enough.

The team ended in second, behind CrossFit Oslo, after a penalty. 

Event 7 

For time:

21-15-9

Echo Bike

Snatches

Event 7 Highlights

Director of Sport Dave Castro gathered the teams and individual athletes together on the floor of the Coliseum at precisely 5:45 p.m. Friday. The teams were aware there would be the seventh event later in the day, but didn’t know what it would entail. With only 30 minutes until they were instructed to line up for Event 7, Castro announced the sprint workout and sent them on their way.

Power and speed was the name of the game. 

CrossFit Invictus took the early lead in Heat 1, but it was Team Omnia who released its second pair first and sped through the last few snatches, taking the event win in 14:05.38. Team Training Think Tank CrossFit and Blueprint CrossFit finished just seconds later in second and third place, respectively.

12 Labours started Event 7 in 30th, the last spot above the cutline. This event would be the make it or break it. But despite the team's efforts to stay within the top finishers, they finished the event in 30th place, ending 12 Labour’s fifth career CrossFit Games appearance on Day 2 by just one position on the leaderboard. 

When Heat 2 stepped onto the arena floor, you could see Froning eyeing the competition. With 120 pieces of equipment neatly lined up in ladder-like order, it was clear to see where each team stood during the event. The main focus for CrossFit Mayhem Freedom: keep the competitors out of view. 

For once, Mayhem didn’t win — yet the team’s performance was far from bleak. After starting the event in 18th, the team managed to jump all the way to fourth by the time the team stopped their clock.

Meanwhile, teams CrossFit Urban Energy, Decorum CrossFit, and Omnia CrossFit watched the fan favorites finish from their rearview mirror. The teams ended in first, second, and third, respectively, breaking Mayhem’s winning streak. 

Event winner team CrossFit Urban consists of two married couples from Australia and New Zealand, and the team said that helps with the dynamic.

“We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, when to argue with them and when to stay away,” Adam Mansy said after the event. “For us, it’s a beautiful picture.”

Top-10 Team Standings After 7 Events

1. CrossFit Mayhem Freedom (688 pts.)
2. CrossFit Urban Energy (568 pts.)
3. Plus64 CrossFit (553 pts.)
4. CrossFit Nordic (541 pts.)
5. CrossFit Oslo (525 pts.)
6. CrossFit Genas (502 pts.)
7. CrossFit Pro1 (489 pts.)
8. CrossFit Surbiton (481 pts.)
9. CrossFit Ressurection (485 pts.)
10. CrossFit Reignited ILM (435 pts.)

All teams seated in 31st place or lower will be cut from the competition. View the leaderboard here for current standings. 

Note: All scores are unofficial at the time of publication. 

Cover photo by Meg Ellery