Day 1 of the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games started with a storm. The skies were dark, but the athletes were lined up at 9 a.m., ready for the battle at the WHOOP North Park Stadium.
The day started with a 4.5-mile run for the 16-17 division and a 3.75-mile run for the 14-15-year-olds. The teens ran alongside the masters, and more than 100 athletes were grouped in each heat.
In Event 2, each division stood alone, giving the athletes center stage to display their skills. The day ended in the Coliseum with a test of strength: a 1-rep-max snatch. (View the Age Group events here.)
Read on for highlights from each event for the Teen divisions.
Event 1
Teens 14-15
After a 1-hour delay, the rain subsided, creating the perfect weather for a long run — and all eyes were on Kaiden Hogan from the start.
Though Hogan's group began about a minute behind the 50-54 and 55-59 divisions, he passed more than 100 athletes and entered into the stadium alone for his second lap, not another athlete in sight. Each time he reappeared to begin the next 1,200-m loop, the crowd roared as he zoomed past his competitors.
Even when he’d finished, it seemed as though no one told Hogan the race was over. He cartwheeled over the finish line and continued to jog over to the spectators and out of the stadium to the ice baths.
It wasn’t Hogan’s first event win of his CrossFit career, however. He’d already banked four event wins before making his Games debut this year. In the 2021 Open, Hogan was one of six teens in the Boys 14-15 division to finish 21.1, winning the event by more than a minute. In the Age Group Online Qualifier, he took back-to-back wins in Events 2 and 3.
Event 1 Results
Boys 14-15
- Kaiden Hogan - 22:46:95
- Caden Poulin - 25:15:74
- Ty Jenkins - 25:18:74
Girls 14-15
- Chiara Silva - 24:57:79
- Trista Smith - 26:08:90
- Delaney Wade - 26:34:28
Teens 16-17
Almost 200 athletes clumped together at the start line, ready to begin the last heat of Event 1. It didn’t take long for the teenagers to ease their way into the mix of masters they were running alongside.
After a weather delay and a cool start to the day, the athletes were met by the sun — and therefore a significant increase in temperature. Although athletes flashed brief smiles and thumbs-ups to their friends and family in the crowd, their exhaustion was evident.
The first athlete to cross the finish line on the men’s side was Rökkvi Guðnason with a time of 30:28:85. On the girls’ side, Emma Lawson took first at 32:59:86.
Rökkvi Guðnason during Event 1 — Photo by Duke Loren
Event 1 Results
Boys 16-17
- Rökkvi Guðnason - 30:28:85
- David Bradley - 30:31:42
- Hiko O Te Rangi Curtis - 30:44:16
Girls 16-17
- Emma Lawson - 32:59:86
- Olivia Sulek - 33:48:27
- María Jose Vargas - 34:59:96
Event 2
Boys 14-15
Fifteen-year-old Gustavo Pusch distanced himself from the rest of the group early in Event 2: 5 rounds of 1 legless rope climb and 5 deadlifts at 255 lb. — and the spotlight never left his lane. Between touch-and-go deadlifts and swift trips up the rope, Pusch finished the event in 3:06:00, 28 seconds faster than second-place finisher Isaiah Weber.
Pusch said he studied rope-climb technique beforehand, which helped him succeed in today’s event.
“Yesterday I learned from my coach, Bernardo, a way to (go) down (the rope) like a firefighter,” he said. “I put it into practice.”
Gustavo Pusch during Event 2 — Photo by flsportguy photography
Meanwhile, Ty Jenkins, Rodrigo Candeias, and Rafael Candeias raced to the finish and crossed into the end zone within just seconds of each other, finishing in third, fourth, and fifth, respectively.
First-place Event 1 winner Kaiden Hogan was pulled out of the event after struggling to complete the first round of deadlifts. According to Hogan’s athlete profile, his 1-rep-max deadlift is 276 lb.
Event 2 Results
- Gustavo Pusch - 3:06:00
- Isaiah Weber - 3:34:81
- Kaiden Myers - 4:54:15
Girls 14-15
Trista Smith took an early lead in the second event, completing the 5 deadlifts unbroken with Olivia Kerstetter at her heels in the lane to her left. But it was Rylee Beebe who snuck into a top spot and crossed the finish line with an impressive time of 4:30:00, securing the win.
“I used to be a gymnast, so every practice we worked on (legless rope climbs),” Beebe said. “I work on them a lot at my home gym.”
The legless rope climbs were the make-it-or-break-it for an event finish, and proved challenging for the youngest teen girls. Only two athletes finished the event within the 6-min. time cap: Beebe and Kerstetter. After a 16th-place finish in Event 1, Kerstetter needed this second-place win to bump her back up on the leaderboard.
Olivia Kerstetter in Event 2 — Photo by flsportsguy photography
Event 2 Results
- Rylee Beebe - 4:30:00
- Olivia Kerstetter - 4:47:55
- Lucy McGonigle - CAP+6
Boys 16-17
Speed was the name of the game in this couplet. The 16-17-year-old boys attacked the legless rope climbs straight out of the gate. With only 6 minutes to complete the event, the athletes knew to start strong.
Elias Simbürger and Jace Peck played tug-of-war with the lead, but it was Peck who secured the win. Simbürger slowed down in Round 4 and crossed the finish line third, falling behind second-place finisher Nate Ackermann.
“I was trying to keep my pace, stay consistent throughout the rounds, and push it at the end,” Peck said.
Jace Peck during Event 2 — Photo by flsportsguy photography
Event 2 Results
- Jace Peck - 3:17:54
- Nate Ackermann - 3:18:04
- Elias Simbürger - 3:28:36
Girls 16-17
Previous American Ninja Warrior Sophia Shaft established herself at the front of the pack early on in the event. Although rope climbs would seem to be in her wheelhouse, she injured her shoulder during the obstacle-course competition and is still recovering. Despite the injury, Shaft finished the event in second place with a time of 3:35:91, just behind winner Emma Lawson, who finished in 3:30:35.
Lawson’s deadlifts were strong, and her legless rope climbs efficient.
“The last rope climb, I started to feel my pull start to go,” she said. “The first one felt really good because it was fresh.”
Lawson will head into Event 3 with two first-place finishes.
Event 2 Results
- Emma Lawson - 3:30:35
- Sophia Shaft - 3:35:91
- Jadzia Onorati-Phillips - 4:53:12
Event 3
Boys 14-15
Gustavo Pusch secured another event win in Event 3 with a 237-lb. snatch: 13 lb. more than Isaiah Weber, who took second. Ty Jenkins came in third after hitting a 215-lb. 1-rep-max snatch.
Gustavo Pusch during Event 3 — Photo by Meg Ellery
Event 3 Results
- Gustavo Pusch - 237 lb.
- Isaiah Weber - 220 lb.
- Ty Jenkins - 215 lb.
Girls 14-15
It was no surprise to see Olivia Kerstetter atop the leaderboard, but a name we hadn’t seen up there was Dariana Rosales — until Event 3.
Rosales was time-capped in each of the first two events of the day but made a comeback with her strong Olympic lift. After taking second in Event 3, she sat in 11th overall after Day 1.
Event 3 Results
- Olivia Kerstetter - 202 lb.
- Dariana Rosales - 192 lb.
- Hailey Rolfe - 175 lb.
Boys 16-17
Seventeen-year-old David Bradley secured his first event win after lifting 262 lb.
Elias Simbürger took second with a 255-lb. snatch, and Nate Ackermann and Jace Peck tied for third with successful lifts at 247 lb. All four athletes sit in the top four seats on the leaderboard.
Event 3 Results
- David Bradley - 262 lb.
- Elias Simbürger - 255 lb.
- 3T Nate Ackermann - 247 lb.
- 3T Jace Peck - 247 lb.
Girls 16-17
A new name climbed to the top with her first event win. Paulina Haro snatched 197 lb. in Event 3, 17 lb. more than the last recorded snatch on her CrossFit Games athlete profile.
Tying for second place, Emma Lawson and Olivia Sulek lifted 192 lb. and are fighting for the top overall spot. The pair sit in first and second place, respectively, after the first day of competition.
Emma Lawson during Event 3 — Photo by Meg Ellery
Event 3 Results
- Paulina Haro - 197 lb.
- 2T Emma Lawson - 192 lb.
- 2T Oliva Sulek - 192 lb.
Overall Standings After Day 1
Boys 14-15
- Gustavo Pusch (275 pts.)
- Isaiah Weber (260 pts.)
- Ty Jenkins (260 pts.)
Girls 14-15
- Jenna Michelotti (245 pts.)
- Hailey Rolfe (230 pts.)
- Lucy McGonigle (220 pts.)
Boys 16-17
- Elias Simbürger (270 pts.)
- David Bradley (265 pts.)
- Nate Ackermann (255 pts.)
Girls 16-17
- Emma Lawson (295 pts.)
- Olivia Sulek (250 pts.)
- Claire Truax (225 pts.)
Note: All times and placements are unofficial at time of publication.
Featured image by flsportsguy photography