The 2021 Last-Chance Qualifier took place July 2-4 and offered select athletes a final opportunity to prove they have what it takes to compete at the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games. Athletes who narrowly missed a qualifying spot at one of the 10 worldwide Semifinals were invited to compete in the Last-Chance Qualifier, a virtual event and brand new phase of CrossFit Games competition season. Check out this article for more on the qualification process for the Last-Chance Qualifier.
At the start of competition, 33 men and 34 women were gearing up to compete in four events at their home affiliates around the world. When the leaderboard closed, only two men and two women were awarded spots to the Games in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Events
The Last-Chance Qualifier consisted of four events that made for a well-rounded test of fitness. The events tasked athletes with a brutal couplet of rowing for calories and dumbbell snatches, heavy deadlifts, burpees with a twist, and a descending ladder of double-unders, squat cleans, and legless rope climbs.
See all event details here.
The Winners
Event 1
Roman Khrennikov of the Russian Federation started the competition off strong, earning first place in Event 1, which consisted of 42, 30, and 18 reps of calories on the rower and dumbbell hang snatches. Nineteen-year-old Dallin Pepper finished just behind Khrennikov with a time of 5:38.
On the women’s side, Lucy Campbell of the United Kingdom took first in the opening event with a blazing time of 6:55, while New Zealand’s Bailey Rogers finished in second (7:04).
Event 2
Event 2 brought in the heavy weights, challenging athletes with a 3-rep-max deadlift. Ioannis Papadopoulos of Greece took the win in Event 2 for the men, successfully lifting 595 lb.
Spain’s Oihana Moya pulled 392 lb. off the floor three times to earn first place for the women.
Event 3
The third event tasked athletes with 100 burpees for time at a 12-inch target set on the wall beside them. Venezuela’s Omar Martinez finished the task in 4:11, mere seconds ahead of the following four finishers on the men’s side.
Perennial Games athlete Kristi Eramo O'Connell completed the burpees in 4:16, a full 28 seconds faster than Feeroozeh Saghafi in second.
Event 4
Khrennikov started and finished Event 4 in first place. The 26-year-old athlete completed the work in 10:51 and earned his spot to compete at the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games. Canadian Alexandre Caron finished the event in second (11:22) and earned his third trip to the CrossFit Games.
Emma Tall of Sweden sat in first place overall heading into Event 4. America’s Eramo O’Connell held fast in second, and the two would maintain their positions through the end of the competition. Eramo O’Connell took the win in the final event with a time of 12:42, while Tall finished in second (13:34).
The Winners
Khrennikov, who first showed up on the CrossFit scene when he won the Europe Regional in 2018, has qualified for the CrossFit Games three times but never stepped foot on the competition floor except in 2020 when he competed virtually in Stage 1. Khrennikov has been unsuccessful in obtaining a Visa and has not been able to see his CrossFit dreams come to fruition — yet.
Caron, who qualified for the Last-Chance Qualifier via the virtual CrossFit Atlas Games, battled his way back into the competition after a major penalty in Event 2 of the Semifinal greatly affected his score. Caron has competed at the CrossFit Games three times (twice as an individual, once on a team).
The competition win is extra sweet for Tall, who tops the Last-Chance Qualifier leaderboard. The 29-year-old athlete had presumably already qualified for the Games when she placed fifth in the 2021 CrossFit German Throwdown. But when CrossFit assessed a late penalty to Tall’s Event 6 score, she plummeted to eighth, outside of a qualifying spot. This will be Tall’s second appearance at the CrossFit Games (she took 31st in 2019).
Eramo O’Connell found herself in an unfamiliar position when she failed to qualify for the CrossFit Games via the Granite Games Semifinal. But she pulled through in the Last-Chance Qualifier with two first-place finishes, an eighth, and a 12th, to earn her spot at her fifth CrossFit Games.
We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to all the athletes who have qualified for the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games. We’ll see you in Madison!
Now we look ahead to the big stage at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, as 40 men and 40 women will vie for the title of Fittest on Earth. It all starts July 27. Stay tuned for more information on how to watch or get your tickets now.