Introducing Team Europe

Two CrossFit Games champions will compete for Europe.

The 2014 Reebok CrossFit Invitational, presented by HGST will be held at the SAP Center in San Jose, California on November 9.

Team USA, Team Europe, Team Canada and Team Australia will compete in back-to-back events during the two-hour competition. So far, we've released the rosters for Team Australia and Team Canada. Now, it’s time to release Team Europe.

Annie Thorisdottir competed in the third-ever CrossFit Games, and earned her first muscle-up in front of the cheering crowds. She took 11th that year, with the help of high-level gymnastics training during her childhood, as well as pole vaulting and bootcamp work in her teens.

One year of CrossFit training later, she returned to take second place behind Kristan Clever. The next year, she won. The year after that, she and Rich Froning Jr. became the first people to win the CrossFit Games twice. She appeared unbeatable; she was the perfect athlete with incredible strength and finesse, unfiltered competitive drive, and an ability to lay waste to the other competitors with a glowing smile.

Then she hurt her back.

The injury sidelined her for the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games season, and unannounced to fans, the athlete doubted whether she would ever return to competition.

But this year she returned, and won the Europe Regional before taking second at the CrossFit Games.

CrossFit Games Record
2009 - 11th
2010 - 2nd
2011 - 1st
2012 - 1st
2013 - Injured
2014 - 2nd

Sam Briggs came to the announcement of Open Workout 14.5 wearing a black shirt with ENGINE printed on the back in bold white letters. She and four other CrossFit Games champions—Annie Thorisdottir, Rich Froning, Jason Khalipa, and Graham Holmberg—would soon take on the 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 of thrusters (95 / 65 lb.) and bar-facing burpees.

While some fans had expected a race between Briggs and Thorisdottir, it soon became clear the race was in fact between Briggs and Froning. It came down to the last sets of reps, with Froning eventually overtaking Briggs’ lead to win in 8:26 with Briggs following in 8:31. (Watch it here.)

When it comes to raw capacity, few to none are as gifted as Briggs.

Briggs debuted at the CrossFit Games in 2010, where she went on to take 19th overall and claim the attention of the fans with a third-place event finish on Pyramid Double Helen. The next year, she climbed to fourth. A knee injury sidelined her in 2012, but gave her the time to address her weaknesses. She came back unstoppable in 2013 and won.

In 2014, Briggs missed qualification for the CrossFit Games after dipping too low in the standings on the max-distance handstand walk at the Europe Regional. She would go on to finish in fourth place at the regional, 6 points behind the final CrossFit Games qualifier, Kristin Holte.

Undeterred by the unfortunate turn of events, Briggs has continued training and competing in functional fitness competitions throughout the United States, as well as the CrossFit Team Series with Rogue Fitness Black.

The CrossFit Invitational will be Briggs’ third major CrossFit competition since she won the Games in 2013. Last year, she helped Team World beat Team USA at the CrossFit Invitational 24-19.

CrossFit Games Record
2010 - 19th
2011 - 4th
2012 - Injured
2013 - 1st
2014 - Didn’t qualify

California and Sweden may be worlds apart, but both have produced 23-year-old men with perfect hair. Garret Fisher missed qualification for the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games, while Lukas Högberg made the cut for the first time.

Högberg took second at the Europe Regional, and went on to claim 23rd at the CrossFit Games. In Carson, he excelled at the Triple 3 (seventh, 34:23), Sprint Sled 2 (eighth, 1:32), 21-15-9 Complex (11th, 4:55) and Double Grace (ninth, 5:51.2).

CrossFit Games Record
2014 - 23rd

This 21-year-old athlete from Hveragerdi, Iceland, made his debut at the 2014 Reebok CrossFit Games after a tie in points with Högberg at the 2014 Europe Regional.

Högberg won the tiebreaker because Guðmundsson had achieved the 58 points through his greater consistency, rather than his peaks and falls. The same held true at the CrossFit Games. Guðmundsson earned 26th overall by finishing in the 20s in seven of the 12 events, in the 30s for three events, and sixth and 14th for the remaining two.

His best performances were on the 21-15-9 Complex (sixth, 4:43) and the Muscle-up Biathalon (14th, 13:21).

Guðmundsson started CrossFit in 2012 at CrossFit Reykjavik, where he was exposed to Annie Thorisdottir, Frederik Aegidius, Katrin Davidsdottir, and Thuridur Helgadottir. He now trains and coaches at CrossFit Hengill.

CrossFit Games Record
2014 - 26th

The Level 1 Seminar Staff member, CrossFit Nordic affiliate owner and 2013 CrossFit Invitational Team World coach will serve as Team Europe’s coach in 2014.

Last fall, while Matt Chan of Team USA ran frantically between athletes and screamed encouragement until he was hoarse, Mads Jacobsen sat back with arms folded calmly, saying little if anything.

Team World won. Need we say more?