That is a wrap on the 2024 CrossFit Semifinals.
During Week 3, we saw records broken, redemption stories made, and crowds forced to their feet to share in the excitement of athlete success.
And the final tickets to Texas were handed out to the top athletes and teams in the North America East, South America, and Africa regions.
Take a look at the 2024 CrossFit Games qualifiers and highlights from Week 3 of Semifinals.
2024 CrossFit Games Qualifiers
North America East
| Men | Women | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jeffrey Adler | 1. Tia-Clair Toomey | 1. Peak 360 CrossFit |
| 2. Dallin Pepper | 2. Alexis Raptis | 2. CrossFit Mayhem |
| 3. Roman Khrennikov | 3. Emma Lawson | 3. CrossFit 1124 |
| 4. Jayson Hopper | 4. Danielle Brandon | 4. 8th Day CrossFit |
| 5. Samuel Cournoyer | 5. Shelby Neal | 5. CrossFit Reignited |
| 6. Jack Rozema | 6. Haley Adams | 6. Ocean State CrossFit Surge |
| 7. Saxon Panchik | 7. Brooke Wells | 7. CrossFit Somos Mayhem |
| 8. Austin Hatfield | 8. Paige Semenza | 8. TTT CrossFit Endure |
| 9. Alexandre Caron | 9. Chloe Gauvin-David | |
| 10. Travis Mayer | 10. Caroline Stanley | |
| 11. Luke Parker | 11. Lexi Neely |
South America
| Men | Women | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Guilherme Malheiros | 1. Victoria Campos | 1. Vittoria CrossFit Centr 1 Movimento |
| 2. Kalyan Souza | 2. Julia Kato | 2. AR-1 CrossFit Mayhem Unity |
| 3. Bruno Marins | 3. Andreia Pinheiro |
Africa
| Man | Woman | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Ruan Potgieter | Gemma Rader | CrossFit Tijger Valley Relentless |
Week 3 Highlights
Haley Adams: “I Found Balance In My Life”
Photo by Sasha Preziosa
A 35th-place finish in Event 2 would have ruined an old Haley Adams’ day.
But not the Haley Adams we are watching today.
Returning to the competition floor after a one-year break to focus on her mental health, Adams embodies a whole new mindset.
“I found a balance in my life … (and) I genuinely love being on this floor again. I used to hate it,” Adams said. “And now … it’s so cool that I’m (here), and there’s people cheering, and I’m working out with some of the best women in the world. You never know when you’re going to get that moment again, and I learned to appreciate that."
Quickly shaking off her finish in Event 2, Adams scored another second-place finish in Event 3 and soaked in the moment at the finish line with her cheering squad in the crowd.
“A lot of my close friends and family saw me through the dark days, so the fact that we all get to celebrate me being on the other side and recovered and everything, is very special to me," she said.
“You Just Need the Right People”
Photo by Ginnie Coleman
When Haley Adams joined 460 Fitness in the fall of 2023, gym owner Velvet Minnick said, “We’re going to make you be involved. You’re not just going to be here to train.”
That is the reason why Adams has returned to the competition floor a whole new person.
The community invited her to game nights and their children’s high school graduations. They even helped her move into her house when she relocated right down the street from the gym.
“I just felt from the moment I walked in there, that was a CrossFit community,” Adams said.
Adams learned to love CrossFit again because of a small affiliate in Blacksburg, Virginia.
“Every affiliate is unique. You don’t need a huge training environment to be successful,” Minnick said. “A small affiliate can provide that as well. You don’t need all the bells and whistles. You just need the right people.”
The Return of Gui
Photo by Joyce Silva
Last year, Gui Malheiros lost his return ticket to the CrossFit Games by just one position at the 2023 South America Semifinal.
He returned to the drawing board, transformed himself, and came back into the fight “a new athlete. ”
At the 2024 South America Semifinal, Malheiros broke the Event 5 snatch ladder event record and finished the weekend with another event win in Event 6.
His goals now are, “just to train, have fun as much as I can, and deliver a good representation for you there at the Games as I always did. ”
Lydia Fish Stole the Show
Photo by Sasha Preziosa
Tia-Clair Toomey may have won Event 5, but Lydia Fish stole the show.
In true CrossFit fashion, it’s always the last athlete on the floor who gets the loudest cheers.
With just 1 minute left on the clock, Fish needed the energy from the crowd to complete her final 175-lb snatch. If she made this lift, it would be a double PR.
So the crowd delivered.
With just seconds remaining, Fish stood the bar up and looked at her judge for approval. With the nod of her head, the crowd erupted, and Fish sprinted to the end zone.
Soaking it all in, she proceeded to walk off the competition floor as her judge ran frantically after her.
Fish had forgotten to sign her scorecard.
“Sorry, I was just too excited,” she said.
Tyler Cooke’s Proudest Moment
Photo by Johany Jutras
Qualifying for his first Semifinals may not be Tyler Cooke’s proudest moment this weekend.
Rather, it would be watching his 16-month-old son cheering in the crowd at the finish line as his team — CrossFit 1124 — crossed.
“Since the day (my children) were born... (they) have grown up in our affiliate,” Cooke said.
As an affiliate owner of CrossFit 1124, Cooke said his 5-year-old daughter and son have been immersed in their community, exploring CrossFit from a young age.
“Bringing them into this environment, into this event, with everybody screaming — (my family) got a cool video of him yelling and screaming and stuff (with the crowd) — I love to have them in those moments when they’re holding them up and seeing them.”
Andreia Pinheiro Can Do It All
Photo by Joyce Silva
Andreia Pinheiro is a mother, a masters athlete, and an individual athlete.
South America’s third-place finisher from Brazil will be making her individual CrossFit Games debut this year.
The 41-year-old first appeared at the CrossFit Games last year in the Masters 40-44 division. This season, she has dominated both the individual and masters divisions. She won the Age-Group Semifinal in the Women’s 40-44 division and took third place at the South America Semifinal.
“I am an athlete. I am a mother. I coexist and affirm: WOMEN, DON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS BECAUSE OF MOTHERHOOD.
“Live intensely for your children, but don't leave your lives aside for it.
“Today I am living my DREAM because I knew how to manage it. And that include my children in that journey. Today they celebrate with me MY achievements. MY WINS. That are OURS!” Pinheiro said on Instagram.
Ruan Duvenage Decicates Event Win to Son
Photo by Roarke Bouffe
After dominating the snatch ladder event at the 2024 Africa Semifinal, four-time Semifinal athlete Ruan Duvenage dedicated his event win to his son.
“This message is for my boy, Roarke. My boy, if you are watching, this was for you. I love you so much. You mean everything to me. You are my world. I love you, my boy.”
Duvenage was the only male athlete to go sub-8 minutes in the event, finishing his last 265-lb (120-kg) snatch in 7:27.
Gemma Rader Will Make Her Individual Debut
Photo by Roarke Bouffe
Africa Semifinal winner Gemma Rader will be heading to the CrossFit Games for the first time solo.
She first debuted at the 2022 Games on team CrossFit Yas Black. This year, she will be making her individual appearance.
The 32-year-old took two event wins and two second-place finishes, marking her best Semifinals performance of her career.
“CrossFit Has Been a Common Bond For Us”
Photo by Ginnie Coleman
Nate Ackermann is not the only Ackermann to qualify for Semifinals this year.
Julie Ackermann, Nate’s mom, qualified for the Age-Group Semifinal in the 50-54 division, where she punched her ticket to the Masters CrossFit Games.
After watching his mom compete at the 2017 CrossFit Games, 14-year-old Nate said, “I want to do that.”
And so he did. Nate went on to earn the title of 2021 Fittest on Earth in the Boys 16-17 division. This weekend, he’s vying for his first individual Games ticket at the North America East Semifinal.
“Having a teenage son, there’s not a lot in common with the mom. So it’s great that CrossFit has been a common bond for us,” Julie said. “It was amazing to watch him go from, I was better than him at everything to he’s better than me at everything”
But who’s fitter? Nate responded, “My mom for sure.”