The top 25% of masters and teenagers from the Open were invited to compete at the 2024 Age-Group Quarterfinal and tested in four challenging workouts to determine who would advance to Semifinals.
At the close of the competition, the top 200 men and top 200 women from each age group were sent invites to the Age-Group Semifinals.
This stage of the season showcased true athletic ability spanning generations and across the world. In fact, 48% of the top three athletes in every age-group division represented countries outside the United States.
Take a look at the podium finishers and highlights from each division from the 2024 Age-Group Quarterfinal.
The Podium and Highlights by Division
Skip to a Division
-
Boys and Girls 14-15
-
Boys and Girls 16-17
-
Men and Women 35-39
-
Men and Women 40-44
-
Men and Women 45-49
-
Men and Women 50-54
-
Men and Women 55-59
-
Men and Women 60-64
-
Men and Women 65+
Boys and Girls 14-15
Top 3 - Boys
- Akil Lopez
- Pablo Tronchon
- Facundo Salica
Top 3 - Girls
- Keira McManus
- Leticia Cerquiera
- Ana Laura Cattai
Highlights
Boys 14-15 division winner Akil Lopez has literally grown up with CrossFit. He has been doing CrossFit since at least 2019 when he was just 9 years old. Now he is amongst the fittest 14-15-year-olds in the world.
Two girls from Brazil finished within the top three in the Girls 14-15 division, Leticia Ceruiera (second) and Ana Laura Cattai (third). Both 15-year-olds have qualified for Semifinals before, but narrowly missed a ticket to the Games. This year, they’ve secured their best Quarterfinal finishes, and if they keep up this momentum through the Semifinals, they may secure a spot at their first CrossFit Games.
Akil Lopez | Photo courtesy of @zur.visuals on Instagram
Boys and Girls 16-17
Top 3 - Boys
- RJ Mestre
- Lorenzo Pitruzzello
- Ka’eo Subiono
Top 3 - Girls
- Bergrós Björnsdóttir
- Lucy McGonigle
- Reese Littlewood
Highlights
RJ Mestre is becoming a household name in the teenage division, but this will be his last year before graduating to the individual division. The 17-year-old won the first three workouts, taking his second Age-Group Quarterfinal win of his career. Mestre also qualified for the Individual Quarterfinal this year and finished 110th in the North America East Region.
Keeping the streak alive, another teen has qualified for both the Individual Semifinal and Age-Group Semifinal. Seventeen-year-old Bergrós Björnsdóttir took 22nd in Europe at the Individual Quarterfinal and first in the Girls 16-17 division at the Age-Group Quarterfinal. According to her Instagram, it looks like she will choose to graduate from teens early and head to France to test her fitness against the fittest women in the world at the Europe Semifinal.
Bergrós Björnsdóttir at the 2023 CrossFit Games | Photo by Wendy Nielson
Men and Women 35-39
Top 3 - Men
- Bronislaw Olenkowicz
- Will Moorad
- Sergey Krys
Top 3 Finishers - Women
- Em Day Gooch
- Caroline Kluttz
- Jasmine Sheehan
Highlights
Will Moorad — a familiar name in the individual division — has appeared for the first time on the masters leaderboard, snatching second place in the Men’s 35-39 division. He’s still proving to be competitive in the individual division, though, qualifying for the North America East Semifinal through the Individual Quarterfinal after a 20th-place finish.
First-place finisher in the Women’s 35-39 division Em Day Gooch just took her first Quarterfinals win of her career in her last year in the division. The 39-year-old advanced to Semifinals for the first time last year but missed out on a ticket to the Games by just nine places. This year, she is back and hungry to earn her first Games appearance.
Will Moorad at the 2023 CrossFit Games | Photo by Joyce Silva
Men and Women 40-44
Top 3 - Men
- Louie McMaster
- Rudolph Berger
- Jonathan Edel
Top 3 - Women
- Alethea Boon
- Elia Navarro
- Jamie Latimer
Highlights
Two-time Fittest on Earth in the Men’s 40-44 division Rudolph (Rudy) Berger isn’t backing down on his way to securing his third-straight division championship. Taking a workout win early in the competition during Workout 1, Berger finished out the 2024 Age-Group Quarterfinal in second place.
Five-time Games athlete Alethea Boon is back to CrossFit Games competition after a two-year hiatus to have a baby girl, and she soared to the top of the Women’s 40-44 leaderboard. She also qualified for the Oceania Semifinal out of the Individual Quarterfinal. Fun fact: Boon starred in the Australian sports entertainment game show “Gladiators” this year.
Alethea Boon at the 2021 Torian Pro Semifinal | Photo by @benywatson
Men and Women 45-49
Top 3 - Men
- Robby McCord
- Jason Grubb
- Nuno Costa
Top 3 - Women
- Val Voboril
- Jenna Larson
- Deanna Posey
Highlights
Sitting in second place on the Men’s 45-49 leaderboard is four-time masters champion Jason Grubb (one in the 40-44 division, three in the 45-49 division). Grubb started CrossFit when he was 38 years old after “a sedentary 20 years.” Now he is well on his way to becoming a four-time CrossFit Games masters champion.
Women’s 45-49 division winner Val Voboril is a six-time CrossFit Games athlete in the individual division. The last CrossFit Games she competed at was in 2017, and she hasn’t had a chance to return yet as a masters. This will be her highest career Quarterfinals placement and a good start heading into the final Games-qualifying stage.
Jason Grubb at the 2023 CrossFit Games | Photo by Charlotte Foerschler
Men and Women 50-54
Top 3 - Men
- Shawn Ramirez
- Jamie McGarva
- Justin Lasala
Top 3 - Women
- Kim Burdy
- Cheryl Brost
- Filareti Xanthoudaki
Highlights
Fifty-year-old Jamie McGarva has never made it past the Age-Group Quarterfinal before, until this year. He won the Open in the Men’s 50-54 division and now takes second place at the Age-Group Quarterfinal. This is the farthest McGarva has ever made it in the CrossFit Games season, and he is well on his way to appearing at his first CrossFit Games.
“There are a lot of people that have helped me get to this point. Some don’t even know me. Jason Grubb, I have watched countless videos and stories. You have been an inspiration to what a Masters athlete can do!” McGarva wrote in an Instagram post.
On the women’s side, third-place finisher Filareti Xanthoudaki from Greece just took her best Age-Group Quarterfinal finish at third place. Xanthoudaki first appeared at the CrossFit Games in 2021 in the Women’s 45-49 division and will be fighting for her second ticket at the 2024 Age-Group Semifinal.
Filareti Xanthoudaki at the 2021 CrossFit Games | Photo by Charlotte Foerschler
Men and Women 55-59
Top 3 - Men
- Vic McQuaide
- Antonio Boldrini
- Jake Taylor
Top 3 - Women
- Tia Vesser
- Joyanne Cooper
- Francoise Mahier
Highlights
Second-place finisher in the Men’s 55-59 division is two-time masters Games athlete Antonio Boldrini. He won the 2024 Open in the division and took his best career finish in Quarterfinals. Last year, Boldrini narrowly missed out on the 2023 CrossFit Games by just four spots, so he has returned with a vengeance.
Two-time masters Games athlete Tia Vesser tops the Women’s 55-59 division after the close of the 2024 Age-Group Quarterfinal, and she seems to thrive in a Quarterfinals setting. Vesser took 52nd worldwide in her division during the 2024 Open but jumped up to first in the Quarterfinals. She has also taken top-five finishes in the last five Quarterfinals she has taken part in.
Antonio Boldrini at the 2022 CrossFit Games | Photo by Charlotte Foerschler
Men and Women 60-64
Top 3 - Men
- Joe Ames
- Stuart Swanson
- Tim Vienna
Top 3 - Women
- Laurie Meschishnick
- Linda Elstun
- Betsy Vanderburgh
Highlights
Sixty-two-year-old Tim Vienna has been competing at the Age-Group Quarterfinal since 2017. He first advanced to Semifinals in 2022, taking 29th place. This season, Vienna took his best career finish after taking third at the 2024 Age-Group Quarterfinal. If the Semifinals go well, he could be appearing at his first CrossFit Games this year.
Women’s 60-64 division winner Laurie Meschishnick has spent a decade at the CrossFit Games. At 60 years old, she advanced to a new division this year and has swept the season so far with a first-place finish in both the Open and Quarterfinals.
Laurie Meschishnick at the 2022 CrossFit Games | Photo by Joyce Silva
Men and Women 65+
Top 3 - Men
- Tom Muhlbeier
- Freddie Cherry
- Thomas Ackerman
Top 3 - Women
- Patricia McGill
- Denise Moore
- Pauline Sciascia
Highlights
Seventy-year-old Thomas Ackerman has been competing at the Age-Group Quarterfinal for a decade and has also competed at the CrossFit Games four times. Although one of the oldest in the division, Ackerman has shown he can keep up with his younger competitors. Last year, he missed out on the 2023 CrossFit Games by just one spot at Semifinals. He's only getting older, but Ackerman is getting fitter. He placed three spots higher on the Quarterfinals leaderboard this season.
Women’s 65+ winner Patricia McGill is a four-time CrossFit Games masters athlete, and she has never finished outside the podium. McGill took first in her division for every stage of the 2024 season so far.
Thomas Ackerman at the 2021 CrossFit Games | Photo by Charlotte Foerschler
The 2024 Age-Group Semifinal
The top 200 athletes from each age group will be invited to compete at the 2024 Age-Group Semifinal — the final qualifying stage for the Masters CrossFit Games by Legends and the Teenage CrossFit Games by Pit Teen Throwdown.
Taking place from May 8-13, this virtual competition will have a similar format to the Age-Group Quarterfinal, where athletes will have six days to complete a series of workouts and submit their scores.