Week 1 of the 2024 CrossFit Open is done and dusted, and it all started with a mushroom.
New this year, CrossFit will recognize the winners of each Open announcement matchup and special members of the CrossFit community with the Golden Barbell Award. This week’s community theme was “the heart and soul of your gym.”
To kick off the live announcement of Open Workout 24.1, four notable CrossFit Games athletes — Jeff Adler, Brent Fikowski, Alex Gazan, and Alexis Raptis — completed three workouts in a throwdown-style competition for a chance to win the Rogue Golden Barbell. The athletes completed Workout 1 — Nasty Girls — at CrossFit 580 on Wednesday, and the second two workouts, Open Workout 11.3 and Open Workout 24.1, during Thursday’s announcement at CrossFit Pleasanton.
After the announcement of Open Workout 24.1, it was the community’s turn to throw down. Over 340,000 athletes registered and competed in the first week of the Open.
Check out a list of the 24.1 and Golden Barbell Award winners, and highlights from Week 1 of the 2024 CrossFit Open.
REWATCH THE LIVE ANNOUNCEMENT OF 24.1
24.1 Winners by Division
Below are the winners of each division who did 24.1 Rx’d. You can view winners of the scaled and foundations workout options as well as a full list of rankings on the CrossFit Games Leaderboard.
| Division | Winner | 24.1 Score |
|---|---|---|
| Individual Men | Colten Mertens | 5:19 |
| Individual Women | Mirjam Von Rohr | 5:39 |
| Men 35-39 | Will Moorad | 5:47 |
| Women 35-39 | Kristin Holte | 6:02 |
| Men 40-44 | Jung Sangmin | 6:14 |
| Women 40-44 | Giulia Roggio | 6:28 |
| Men 45-49 | Richard Vint | 6:46 |
| Women 45-49 (TIE) | Jessica Casas | 7:06 |
| Women 45-49 (TIE) | Janaina Barduco Garcia | 7:06 |
| Men 50-54 | Chad Augustin | 7:14 |
| Women 50-54 | Helen Macleod | 7:47 |
| Men 55-59 | Koichi Sugiyama | 7:12 |
| Women 55-59 | Julie Schaffer | 6:13 |
| Men 60-64 | Mike Fry | 8:00 |
| Women 60-64 | Laurie Meschishnick | 8:07 |
| Men 65+ | Tom de Nolf | 9:28 |
| Women 65+ | Patricia McGill | 9:02 |
| Boys 14-15 | Leonardo Cruz | 6:22 |
| Girls 14-15 | Keira McManus | 6:39 |
| Boys 16-17 | RJ Mestre | 6:28 |
| Girls 16-17 | Lucy McGonigle | 6:06 |
The Adaptive Open by WheelWOD: 24.1 Winners by Division
Below are the winners of each adaptive division for 24.1. You can view a full list of rankings on the Adaptive CrossFit Open leaderboard HERE.
| Adaptive Division | Winner | 24.1 Score |
|---|---|---|
| Men: 1 Point - Upper Impairment | Casey Acree | 7:01 |
| Women: 1 Point - Upper Impairment | Emily Avery | 9:06 |
| Men: 2 Point - Upper Impairment | Casey Acree | 7:01 |
| Women: 2 Point - Upper Impairment | Mia Van Rensburg | 7:17 |
| Men: Minor Lower - Lower Impairment | Daniel Washington | 8:35 |
| Women: Minor Lower - Lower Impairment | Valerie Cohen | 8:35 |
| Men: Above Knee - Lower Impairment | Derek Weida | 10:09 |
| Women: Above Knee - Lower Impairment | Lauren Farhat | 13:34 |
| Men: Below Knee - Lower Impairment | Jonatan Castro Silva | 8:06 |
| Women: Below Knee - Lower Impairment | Grislaine Schueler | 10:37 |
| Men: Major - Neuromuscular Impairment | Jeremy Dalton | 5:59 |
| Women: Major - Neuromuscular Impairment | Hillary Simister | 5:40 |
| Men: Moderate - Neuromuscular Impairment | Kevin Maijer | 7:11 |
| Women: Moderate - Neuromuscular Impairment | Krista Davisdon | 5:40 |
| Men: Minor - Neuromuscular Impairment | Adam Nelczyk | 8:33 |
| Women: Minor - Neuromuscular Impairment | Alyssa Kobela | 8:40 |
| Men: Vision Impairment | Chris Fair | 5:43 |
| Women: Vision Impairment | Mary Colin | 6:28 |
| Men: Short Stature | Tim Murray | 6:48 |
| Women: Short Stature | Creusa Angelica | 6:03 |
| Men: Seated 1 - Without Hip Function | Joshua Young | 6:23 |
| Women: Seated 1 - Without Hip Function | Neslie Bernardi | 6:15 |
| Men: Seated 2 - With Hip Function | Simon Farre | 5:37 |
| Women: Seated 2 - With Hip Function | Amalia Ortuño Lizano | 6:24 |
| Men: Seated 3 - QUAD | Cameron Whittaker | 4:20 |
| Women: Seated 3 - QUAD | Sophie Wilson | 5:10 |
| Men: Standing Diagnosed | Brett Horchar | 7:37 |
| Women: Standing Diagnosed | Katie Bures | 9:12 |
| Men: Intellectual Disability | Axel Belot | 5:52 |
| Women: Intellectual Disability | Tessa Kirkey | 8:17 |
24.1 Winners Highlights
1. First-time Feats
Four-time CrossFit Games athlete Colten Mertens and Switzerland’s Mirjam Von Rohr — of the individual men’s and women’s divisions — have both won their first Open workouts.
2. “My Love For Burpees Will Never Fade”
Women’s 35-39 winner Kristin Holte is an eight-time CrossFit Games veteran. Holte announced her retirement from the CrossFit Games at the 2021 Games, but that doesn’t stop her from enjoying the fun of the Open. Holte took second place in the Women’s 35-39 division in the 2022 CrossFit Open. She took 2023 away from competition and is soaring back up the leaderboard in 2024.
“My love for burpees will never fade,” Holte said in her 24.1 Instagram post.
3. The First Blind CrossFit Games Athlete
Winner of the Moderate Neuromuscular Impairment division Kevin Maijer is well-known as the first blind athlete to compete at the CrossFit Games, due to complications from multiple sclerosis.
4. A Decade of Dominance
Canada’s Laurie Meschishnick is a 10-time masters Games athlete. This is her first year in the 60-64 age-group division.
5. Overcoming Adversity
Women’s Seated QUAD Without Hip Function Division winner Sophie Wilson participated in her first Open this year. In 2018, Wilson became paralyzed after diving into shallow water. Last year, Wilson participated in the London Marathon with her dad to raise funds for the Matt Hampson Foundation. The duo finished in 5:59:38.
Sophie Wilson finishing the London Marathon | Photo from WIlson's marathon support page
Open Workout 24.1 Analysis
The first week of the 2024 CrossFit Open featured a couplet of dumbbell snatches and lateral burpees over the dumbbell. Athletes were tasked with a total of 90 of each movement to be completed within a 15-minute time cap. The rep scheme was a spin on the classic 21-15-9, but with two sets of each movement at each rep level instead of one.
This year, we saw a departure from the standard alternating dumbbell snatches as athletes were required to complete all the snatches on the same arm for a given rep level, perform the burpees, and then switch arms for the next set. We’ve seen a lot of burpee variations in the Open over the years, but this was the debut of lateral burpees over a dumbbell.
Open Workout 24.1 was very accessible with no high-skill movements, and the majority of athletes were able to perform the Rx’d version. The combination of a moderately weighted dumbbell paired with burpees made this workout a major test of muscle stamina and cardiovascular endurance. With no real blockers, it all came down to how fast you could cycle the snatches and how much rest you needed to stay upright.
The Golden Barbell Award
This year, we will recognize special members of the CrossFit community with the Golden Barbell Award.
Live Open Announcement Winner: Jeff Adler
Reigning Fittest Man on Earth Jeff Adler is the first winner of the Rogue Golden Barbell. Adler won two of the three workouts in Week 1: the throwback to Open Workout 11.3 and the first workout of this year's Open, 24.1.
Jeff Adler with Rogue Golden Barbell at the Live 24.1 Announcement | Photo by Meg Ellery
Community Winner: Jill Paullus
The Week 1 Golden Barbell Award winner is Jill Paullus!
Paullus is a CF-L2 coach at State 35 CrossFit, and, “She HOLDS THE STANDARD!” said Mike Mogard.
Paullus was recently diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer that is threatening to take her life. But she is facing the diagnosis with fearlessness.
“I’m not scared for me, I know where I am going,” Paullus said.
Congratulations, Jill! You truly embody the best of the CrossFit community.
It’s time to start nominating your community for Week 2 of the Golden Barbell Award. This week’s theme is, “A local Service Open Athlete.”
To nominate a peer for the Golden Barbell Award, post a photo or video on social media explaining why this individual embodies the week’s theme. Be sure to include the hashtag #GoldenBarbellAward in the caption to secure your nomination.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GOLDEN BARBELL AWARD
Get Ready for Week 2
Open Workout 24.2, presented by GOWOD, will be announced by WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
Immediately following the announcement, two-time Fittest Man on Earth Justin Medeiros and four-time CrossFit Games athlete Colten Mertens will face off in 24.2.
You're not going to want to miss this.
ADD 2024 OPEN ANNOUNCEMENTS TO YOUR CALENDAR