After three days of competition and five grueling workouts, the Individual Quarterfinal has come to a close.
The final two days of the weekend tested athletes’ endurance and strength. Workout 3 was an ascending and descending ladder of wall-ball shots, shuttle runs, and rope climbs. Workout 4 challenged athletes to find a 1-rep-max clean, bench press, and overhead squat, and Workout 5 was a sprint to the finish with a 30-cal. row, 20 burpee box jump-overs, and 10 snatches for time.
Tia-Clair Toomey added six workout wins on the continental leaderboard for Oceania to her record, while Kealan Henry added five, Guilherme Malheiros four, and Ioannis Papadopoulos and Royce Dunne three each.
But, the five-time Fittest Woman on Earth is the only athlete so far to win three Quarterfinal workouts on the worldwide leaderboard.
Here’s a look at the unofficial winners and highlights from the final two days of the Individual Quarterfinal.
Note: All scores are unofficial and may change as videos are reviewed. The leaderboard is scheduled to be finalized on Friday, April 1.
Africa
Overall Winners:
Women: Michelle Merand
Men: Jason Smith
Workout 3 Winners:
Women: Sara Elsafty — 15:20
Men: Darren Zurnamer — 13:40
Workout 4 Winners:
Women: Mary Jamieson — 660 lb
Men: Brandon Jacobs — 1,054 lb
Workout 5 Winners:
Women: Mary Jamieson — 4:01
Men: Kealan Henry — 2:59
Women’s Highlights
2019 CrossFit Games rookie Michelle Merand is on the right track to return to the big stage this year, hungry for a qualifying spot after missing the 2021 Games by only two spots at the CrossFit Fittest in Cape Town Semifinal. Merand stayed fairly consistent throughout the weekend, finishing Workouts 1, 2, and 4 in third, which secured her the lead.
South African Michelle Basnett had a rough start to Day 2 with a 22nd-place finish in Workout 3. But, after taking eighth in Workout 4 and second in Workout 5, she planted herself in second place overall at the close of competition.
Three South Africans lie on the cutline for a Semifinals invitation. Leilani Tison and Carla Henriet are tied for 29th, and Antionette Scott sits in 31st. Both Henriet and Scott made their debut at Semifinals last year, but if the leaderboard stays unchanged, this will be Tison’s first Semifinal competition.
Michelle Basnett at the 2022 Wodapalooza CrossFit-Licensed Event | Photo by flsportsguy photography
Men’s Highlights
Overall leader Jason Smith is having a bit of deja vu, following the same track record as last year. This will be his second-straight Quarterfinal win, and the three-time Games athlete will be looking to take another sweep of the competition at Semifinals.
Two-time Fittest Man in Africa Kealan Henry finished Workout 4 in 34th, which cost him his first-place position on the leaderboard. Needing to win Semifinals to advance to the 2022 Games, he'll need to focus on avoiding any mistakes to earn the only spot from the Africa region.
Sitting on the cutline to advance to the Semifinals are Belal Hesham from Egypt in 29th and Hamicarao Brice from Madagascar in 30th. This is the first time either athlete has advanced from the Open, and therefore they will make their Semifinals debuts if the leaderboard stands.
Jason Smith at the 2021 Fittest in Cape Town Semifinal | Photo by @southafricansportsimages
Asia
Overall Winners:
Women: Seungyeon Choi
Men: Roman Khrennikov
Workout 3 Winners:
Women: Seher Kaya — 16:20
Men: Roman Khrennikov — 13:33
Workout 4 Winners:
Women: Jiaxi Wang — 678 lb
Men: Vadim Yunkov — 1,102 lb
Workout 5 Winners:
Women: Seungyeon Choi — 3:51
Men: Nasser Alruwayeh — 2:33
Women’s Highlights
After ending Day 2 in fourth, 2019 National Champion and 2021 Games team athlete Shahad Budebs from the United Arab Emirates jumped to second place at the close of Day 3.
An athlete to keep an eye on this season is 24-year-old Seher Kaya out of Turkey, who held tight to a third-place position throughout Days 2 and 3. Last year, she finished the Open in 462nd worldwide and took seventh at the CrossFit Asia Invitational. This year, however, Kaya secured 20th place worldwide in the Open and a podium position in Quarterfinals.
Currently on the cutline for a Semifinals invitation are Rena Urabe in 29th and Nour Karam in 30th. If the leaderboard stays as is, Urabe and Karam will receive the final invites.
Men’s Highlights
Roman Khrennikov took command of the Asia region from CrossFit Mayhem this weekend and proved he’d been putting in the work during Workout 4, lifting a total of 1,044 lb. Khrennikov also won his first continental workout of the season during Workout 3, finishing with an impressive time of 13:33.
Although Khrennikov bumped two-time Games athlete Aleksandar Illin from the top spot after Day 2, Illin continued to hold on strong to second place until the close of the competition.
On the cutline for a Semifinals-qualifying spot are Raad Alshahrani in 29th and Dmitry Gurin in 30th. Both athletes will receive an invitation if the leaderboard stays unchanged.
Europe
Overall Winners:
Women: Gabriela Migała
Men: Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson
Workout 3 Winners:
Women: Mikaela Norman — 13:45
Men: Niccolò Colli — 13:12
Workout 4 Winners:
Women: Laura Horváth — 750 lb
Men: Ioannis Papadopoulos — 1,136 lb
Workout 5 Winners:
Women: Laura Horváth — 3:08
Men: Ioannis Papadopoulos — 2:25
Women’s Highlights
Four-time CrossFit Games athlete and eight-time Fittest Woman in Poland Gabriela Migała had a great start to the 2022 Individual Quarterfinal. Taking first in Workout 1 with a time of 5:37, she began Day 1 with a good lead. However, Workout 2 didn't go as well — she finished in 33rd — and bumped her out of the top spot. Migała spent the next two days making up for her low placement in Workout 2. She went on to take second in Workout 3, seventh in Workout 4, and fourth in Workout 5, managing to snag the overall lead after the close of competition. Migała will be a strong podium contender at the 2022 CrossFit Games if she makes it out of Semifinals.
It is not a surprise to see Ireland's Emma Mcquaid sitting in second place after her successful season last year. The three-time Games competitor and four-time Fittest Woman in Ireland finished her 2021 season in 12th at the CrossFit Games and went on to win the 2022 Wodapalooza CrossFit Licensed-event at the start of this season.
One to watch heading into Semifinals is the United Kingdom’s Lucy Campbell. She finished her season last year in ninth at the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown Semifinal but finished just outside the podium at Wodapalooza this year. She could make her Games debut this season.
Despite an injured knee, Sara Sigmundsdottir managed to hold on during Workout 4, securing 13th place. She closed out the Individual Quarterfinal in fourth on the leaderboard.
Forty-year-old Sam Briggs decided the 2022 season would be her final push for the CrossFit Games at the 2022 Wodapalooza Fitness Festival. If she were to qualify for the CrossFit Games, this would be her 10th Games as an individual. However, it looks as though that’s a tall order after her 66th-place finish in Quarterfinals. The top 60 women in Europe will receive invites to Semifinals, meaning Briggs will need a second-round invitation to make the Individual Semifinals or compete in the Age Group Quarterfinal to advance within the masters 40-44 division.
Gabriela Migała at the 2021 Dubai CrossFit Championship | Photo by @1rmphotography
Men’s Highlights
Europe’s king of CrossFit assumed the throne at the close of competition. It was a close race to the top, however. Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson holds 101 points, which is the most of any continental leader, showing no one person dominating the men’s Europe leaderboard. Athletes’ point total equals the sum of their ranks on each of the workouts, therefore, in a points-per-place scoring system, athletes with the fewest points ranked the highest in each workout.
Two-time Games athlete Willy Georges from France has been rehabilitating a serious injury to his shoulder after Open Workout 21.1 last year. Returning to competition this season, Georges is looking strong. He closed out Day 2 in third overall and finished the weekend in second place.
Sitting at the cutline are Italy’s Giovanni Angelozzi in 59th and Poland’s Piotr Mielczarek and Portugal’s Hugo Sousa tied for 60th.
Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson at the 2021 CrossFit Games | Photo by Duke Loren
North America
Overall Winners:
Women: Mallory O’Brien
Men: Justin Medeiros
Workout 3 Winners:
Women: Erica Kelly — 14:09
Men: Jeffrey Adler — 13:11
Workout 4 Winners:
Women: Danielle Paran — 769 lb
Men: Austin Cahoy — 1,141 lb
Workout 5 Winners:
Women: Dani Speegle — 3:03
Men: Matt Dlugos — 2:19
Women’s Highlights
Mal O’Brien does it again. The 18-year-old who shocked us all after winning the Open won yet another competition on her way to the Games. She had a bit of a fallback in Workout 4 with a 46th-place finish but made up for it with top-10 finishes in the rest of the workouts.
Similar to Emma Lawson, 23-year-old Alexis Raptis is looking to have her breakout year in the individual division. The former Games teenager has been vying for an individual spot at the Games since 2016 and just about made it last year. She missed out by one spot at the West Coast Classic Semifinal but is already showing improvement this season, finishing the Individual Quarterfinal second in North America.
The teens are showcasing their abilities to keep up with the big dogs again this year. Lawson, despite a stumble in Workout 4, finished in sixth place at the close of competition.
Another name that first became popular at the 2021 CrossFit Games is 16-year-old Olivia Kerstetter. After outlifting the entire women’s field — including individuals and masters — with her 202-lb snatch, the teen continues to exemplify her incredible strength. She sits in eighth place on the leaderboard after the weekend. Will she try to skip the Age Group Quarterfinal and dive headfirst into the individual division or take advantage of the two years she still has left as a teen?
Alexis Raptis at the 2021 West Coast Classic Semifinal | Photo by Duke Loren
Men’s Highlights
The Fittest Man on Earth Justin Medeiros showed his dominance again, finishing in first place at the end of three days of competition. His total of 143 points also put the 23-year-old on top of worldwide leaderboard. It will be tough to take his crown away in August.
Chandler Smith is having a good start to his 2022 season after finishing 20th worldwide in the Open and second ain the Individual Quarterfinal. His fourth-place finish in Workout 5 helped propel him toward the top of the leaderboard.
A bit of friendly brotherly competition may have been beneficial to the Panchik brothers this weekend. Although Scott decided to take it “easy” in the Open and Quarterfinals to avoid too much strain on his body during his first year of retirement, the eldest brother managed to outshine Saxon and Spencer. However, all three still finished high on the leaderboard, with Scott in fifth, Saxon in sixth, and Spencer in 11th.
A fairly new name outlifted the worldwide leaderboard in Workout 4, lifting a total of 1,141 lb. Austin Cahoy, 29, previously competed at the CrossFit Games on a team with CrossFit 417 from 2015 to 2018.
Oceania
Overall Winners:
Women: Tia-Clair Toomey
Men: Ricky Garard
Workout 3 Winners:
Women: Tia-Clair Toomey — 14:07
Men: Stephen Mischewski — 13:14
Workout 4 Winners:
Women: Kara Saunders — 755 lb
Men: Jake Douglas — 1,102 lb
Workout 5 Winners:
Women: Ellie Turner — 3:03
Men: Jake Douglas — 2:46
Women’s Highlights
The five-time Fittest Woman on Earth took a clean sweep of the first three workouts and never dropped below second on the remaining two. With her performance, Tia-Clair Toomey broke yet another record this year, holding the lowest continental points total at 7. With her three added wins, Toomey has now won seven of the nine continental workouts.
Kara Saunders impressed yet surprised no one by showing off her incredible strength in Workout 4, winning the workout with a score of 755 lb. She sits in second place overall on the Oceania leaderboard after the close of competition.
New Zealand's Bailey Rogers turned some heads this weekend. The last time she competed at the CrossFit Games was in 2017 with team Functional Strength CrossFit, and her 2021 season ended at the Last-Chance Qualifier, where she took 19th. Now, sitting fourth on the Individual Quarterfinal leaderboard, Rogers may be one to shake up the competition at Semifinals and potentially earn her first ticket to the Games as an individual.
Bailey Rogers at the 2021 Torian Pro Semifinal | Photo by @benywatson
Men’s Highlights
Ricky Garard is having a big comeback season after his four-year suspension. Although he did not win any workouts, his performance was solid across the board, resulting in an overall win in Oceania.
One name stood out this weekend not because of his placement on the leaderboard but because he competed in the Individual Quarterfinal then proceeded to compete in an Olympic Triathlon on Sunday to close out his weekend. Australia’s James Newbury finished Quarterfinals above the cutline in 25th and crossed the finish line in his first Olympic-distance triathlon at 2 hours 24 minutes. Because of his triathlon training, it is not a surprise to see his ninth-place finish in Workout 3.
South America
Overall Winners:
Women: Julia Kato
Men: Guilherme Malheiros
Workout 3 Winners:
Women: Barbara Ferreira — 14:36
Men: Jason Herrera Castro — 13:24
Workout 4 Winners:
Women: Fernanda Dotto — 702 lb
Men: Guilherme Malheiros — 1,101 lb
Workout 5 Winners:
Women: Julia Kato — 3:20
Men: Guilherme Malheiros — 2:29
Women’s Highlights
Brazil’s Julia Kato is another former teen Games athlete looking to qualify for the Games as an individual. The 22-year-old made it far last year, taking fourth at the Brazil CrossFit Championship and 26th at the Last-Chance Qualifier. She’s starting out 2022 even stronger with a first-place finish in the Individual Quarterfinal.
Argentina’s Melina Rodriguez and Colombia’s Valentina Rangel are currently tied for third. Although Rodriguez was bumped out of her Day 1 first-place position, she is still showing how much she has improved over the years. Despite a 180-degree turn to her season after her team was disqualified, she could be a contender for a Games invitation in the individual division.
Sitting at the cutline for Semifinals-qualifying spots are Brazil’s Amanda Bacetti in 29th and Bruna Baxhix in 30th. Bacetti had her best season so far last year with her Individual Quarterfinal qualification, but her season ended after she finished just outside the cutline in 36th. If the leaderboard stands, she will make her debut at Semifinals this year.
Baxhix participated in her very first CrossFit Open this year, and is already in contention for a spot at Semifinals.
Men’s Highlights
It might be the hype from a successful season last year or the new training dynamic at CrossFit Mayhem, but Gui Malheiros is on fire. He finished Workouts 2 and 3 in second and finished out the remaining two in first. It is to no surprise that he won Workout 4 with a total of 1,101 lb — including a 407-lb clean — after his performance at the 2021 CrossFit Games.
Brazil’s Kaique Cerveny just missed the 2021 CrossFit Games by two spots at the Brazil CrossFit Championship Semifinal and missed an invitation out of the Last-Chance Qualifier by just six places. He’s working hard to get that invitation this year, and sits in fourth at the close of the weekend.
The top 30 athletes from Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania, the top 60 from Europe, and the top 120 from North America will advance to Semifinals, the last stop before the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
The Leaderboard is set to finalize on Friday, April 1, and there may be shifts until then.
Congratulations to all of the athletes who are moving forward in the competition!
Catch up on Individual Quarterfinal coverage:
- Read highlights of Day 1 in “Individual Quarterfinal: Day 1 Score Report.”
- Listen to the CrossFit Games podcast for highlights of all three days:
- Watch “2022 Inside the Leaderboard 03.26: Quarterfinal Stats.”
Cover photo by Charlotte Foerschler