Another CrossFit Games has come and gone, and as fans of the sport, we feel a bit like a child on the day after Christmas: Still full of cheer, yet disappointed as the Games are now a whole year away.<\/p>\n
All we can do now is remember the excitement and the impressive performances we witnessed, until it\u2019s time to gear up for 2026.<\/p>\n
5 of the Most Impressive Individual Performances From Albany<\/p>\n
Toomey-Orr Takes on the Men\u2019s Field in \u201cRow\/Run\/Row\u201d<\/p>\n
We should be accustomed to it by now, as Toomey-Orr often outperforms many male competitors in mass-start endurance events, especially those involving swimming. Still, watching her do so never gets old.<\/p>\n
Toomey-Orr began her competition by beating 19 of the 30 men<\/a> (and tying another) on \u201cIE1: Run\/Row\/Run,\u201d marking her first of four event wins over the weekend.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n What made this performance particularly impressive is that there were 3000 meters of rowing between the four-mile run and the run-mile run, which highlights just how strong a runner Toomey-Orr is, since taller, heavier men have a significant advantage in rowing.<\/p>\n Honorable mention: Aimee Cringle wasn\u2019t far behind Toomey-Orr. She also beat 18 of the men.<\/p>\n Campbell\u2019s Cleans on \u201cClimbing Couplet\u201d<\/p>\n CrossFit emphasizes adaptation, and second-place finisher Lucy Campbell proved that during the cleans in \u201cIE3: Climbing Couplet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Remind me: Campbell suffered a serious wrist injury that sidelined her for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Doctors advised her to switch to a different sport<\/a>, but Campbell ignored that advice. After two surgeries and a lengthy rehab, she has come back stronger than ever. That said, she still struggles to catch the barbell during heavy clean lifts.<\/p>\n To avoid wrist extension, Campbell\u2019s solution <\/a>on \u201cIE3: Climbing Couplet\u201d was to perform a one-handed clean, catching the barbell with one hand while simultaneously extending her other arm straight out into a Zombie squat position and letting the barbell land directly onto her collarbones.<\/p>\n While we don\u2019t recommend you try this at home, go ahead and attempt a one-handed zombie squat with 205 pounds and let us know how much more difficult it feels compared to a regular front squat.<\/p>\n Ultimately, heading into the event, we all expected it to be a damage control situation for Campbell, as she had also told us that cleans were a weakness of hers even before her wrist injury. But she not only avoided damage, Campbell finished sixth.<\/p>\n Mertens\u2019 Max Back Squat<\/p>\n For many top male CrossFit athletes, a 500-pound back squat has become the goal \u2013 an achievement only Scott Panchik reached during the \u201cCrossFit Total\u201d event at the 2018 CrossFit Games, and a lift no man, not even Mat Fraser, accomplished during the \u201cCrossFit Total\u201d at the 2020 Games.<\/p>\n On the weekend, Colten Mertens opened at 535 pounds and went on to put up a 570-pound squat<\/a>, shattering any one-rep max back squat we have seen at a CrossFit Games in the past.<\/p>\n Honorable mention: Nick Mathew also crushed the 500-pound mark, hitting 555 pounds for second place.<\/p>\n Hatfield Heats Up on \u201cGoing Dark\u201d and \u201cRunning Isabel\u201d<\/p>\n Austin Hatfield reminded us on Sunday morning that it\u2019s never over until it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n He entered the final day of competition in eighth place overall but secured back-to-back wins<\/a> on \u201cIE8: Going Dark\u201d and \u201cIE9: Running Isabel,\u201d launching himself into third place with one event remaining.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Hatfield made it impossible not to root for him to reach the top spot with just one event remaining, in what was the tightest men\u2019s race in history, where only 33 points separated first from sixth going into the final event.<\/p>\n Hatfield ultimately didn\u2019t succeed, but his performances and the entertainment they delivered on Sunday morning will be remembered for some time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Join the BarBend community Forum<\/p>\n Looking to connect with fellow fitness lovers like you? Head over to the BarBend Community Forum to ask questions, share advice, and talk all things training.<\/p>\n Kerstetter Konquers \u201cAtlas\u201d<\/p>\n While the top two spots on the women\u2019s side were a near lock going into the final event, the third podium spot was still wide open.<\/p>\n Only 28 points separated Arielle Loewen, who was in third, and Mirjam von Rohr in eighth. Kerstetter was in fifth at that time.<\/p>\n A win at \u201cIE10: Atlas\u201d could have allowed any of the top six women \u2014 Loewen, Sturt, Kerstetter, Cringle, Danielle Brandon, and von Rohr \u2014 to reach the podium.\u00a0<\/p>\n