1. Dominic wrote...

Anyone know why OPT pulled out?

2. JO wrote...

Could have something to do with him wanting brOPT to beat him but that doesn't make sense.... He's way too mentally tough to pull out from exhaustion, and we hadn't heard he was injured before... AHHHHHH

3. tomh wrote...

Come on Hack, tear it up!

4. p wrote...

Miko is Champ!! Congrats!

5. Alfie wrote...

Mikko Salo won! Congratulation Mikko! You definitely deserved to win. I have so much respect for you.

6. blazers wrote...

congrats to mikko, well deserved

im in utter amazement at khalipas games performance. crappy run, but the rest of his finishes were mind blowing.

7. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

where did Steve WIllis come?

8. Benny wrote...

Congrats Mikko. Bra jobbat !! heja Finland :-)

9. Shane Ireland wrote...

Congrats to Mikko, unbelievable performance!

10. Dave wrote...

Mikko deserves it. Any guy that can finish 2nd in a 7k run, then DL 495 is an absolute stud. What a great performance!!! Congrats...

11. Carey wrote...

Wow! Congrats to all! Mikko, what a machine!!

12. Wade Smith wrote...

Finnish ... in 1st place!

13. Tony wrote...

Well done to everyone involved. What an awesome show of human spirit and physical prowess.

Who are the podium finishers for MALE and FEMALE?

14. Duke Nukem wrote...

Congrats Mikko! He must be a beast to be able to get 2nd in the run, then deadlift a ton, then crush all the other stuff too.

15. Kevin W replied to comment from Dominic...

OPT had to withdraw before the final WOD due to a shoulder injury

16. tommi k wrote...

Finnish, of course!! Great job Mikko!

17. Rickard wrote...

Grym prestation, Mikko Salo! Snacka om overaskning for alla som forutspatt favoriterna.. Sanslost imponerande!
Hats off to you, Mikko!

18. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

sounds as if Kalippa covered himself in glory again today.

Respect to everybody who competed and particularly the guys that did EIGHT WODS in less than 36 hours. But a massive amount of respect to Kalippa for backing up so well from last year and for fighting back after such a dismal finish in the run. I guess I viewed him as something of a lucky champion last year off the back of a freakish Grace. But he proved me wrong.

I'm not one of those guys who thinks he should win - the competition was fair and he needed to run better to win - but the guy proved to be a champion this weekend.

19. z wrote...

well said, nick. khalipa couldn't win because of his run, but what a warrior.

20. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

Recovery

I'd be really interested in some coverage over the next month or so on the guys in the final 16 and how their bodies recover from this.

This event has been so gruelling and they have put their bodies through so much, that I can't help think they may make themselves sick or injured. Clearly, they are all super fit and clearly, they all look after themselves but they have really spent themselves this weekend.

massive respect. Can you imagine the pain they're gonna be in tomorrow and the next few days. And with the calories they're going to have to replace, I would think there won't be much zoning going on!

21. KC wrote...

Does anyone know how the men's competition ended up besides Mikko in 1st?

22. LT wrote...

Congrats to everyone, those were some brutal workouts, and I am sure there is a lot of blood, sweat and tears all over the ranch! I hope that people take the time to submit lessons learned while they are fresh in their head, and make this an even better competition next year! Not that it would have affected the outcome, but I would love to see what kind of weights and times guys like Speal, Everet, Barber, etc. would have put up on some of the WODs today.

23. Ben wrote...

What was the final mens WOD?

24. Ralph wrote...

What an amazing competition, would have been nice to have day 2 as day 1 though.

Put something like power cleans with the sandbag to make it a 3 minute event.

Much respect to everyone.

Question I have is:

What is the point of the qualifier if you cut the field down so much, especially after day 1 with events that I don't believe showed who really was top 16..... (I know tons of hate mail from that comment, just an oppinion).

Why not top 30? I know there had to be guys 17-30 that could have made a run for it....

At the very least there are guys (as well as ladies) that would have destroyed those workouts that didn't get the chance to compete on day 2.

As a spectator I would much rather see a 24th place guy dominate that last workout than watch a top 16 guy really struggle (even though I still want to watch the top 16).

This isn't meant to bash anyone because all those guys would destroy me at a workout, but more to CrossFit from a spectator.

I think CrossFit is the best and I want people outside the box to think that as well and I think the way the cuts and events in day 1 were handled opens them up to a lot of criticism.

I know time, equipment, etc plays into it so.....

Shorten the run a bit, get rid of the sandbag and hammer or put the row, sandbag row together (maybe 750m each row).

I'm just having a hard time swallowing the fact that only a couple seconds in a 1 minute event make the difference for quite a few in them not making it to Sunday (I know, "Every Second Counts"). What does running a 1:07 tell me about a guy over another who runs a 1:10? It tells me that maybe there was a slip, maybe a guy ran to the left which was harder than the right side, maybe the slower guy had to go around another....

I only hope HQ takes this all in and makes next year even better.

Why not have top 30 go to Sunday and cut down to possibly 15 for the final workout.

To finish, congrats to everyone because despite my not thinking things were perfect, it was awesome (I know that nothing is perfect). This is not hate mail, I'm not trolling and I am not bashing, just want to put it out there so it is better next year and fair to all competitors and fans.

25. ryan wrote...

I really want to know what type of programming khalipa does. Not only does he crush wods, he is huge. Anyone know? Why are some of the guys so much more muscular than others? Genetics or training?

26. Wade Smith wrote...

Why can't CFRadio cover the ceremony with a live broadcast?

27. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

Ralph

I would like to have seen a top 30 on Sunday too but to your other point, about the difference between a 1.07 and a 1.10, dude, that's competition.

In a horse race, the horse may win by a nose, so is 0.00004 % faster over 3 miles or something, but the winning horse wins 90% of the prize money.

personally I found it a little weird that there was little or no technical stuff on the first day and then masses of it on the second day so I agree that maybe some of the more technical guys may have improved their positiinings. It's almost as if Saturday was to get the best 16 all round athletes and then Sunday was about getting to the best crossfit athlete. (I hope that makes sense)

28. JENunez wrote...

i wonder if espn would ever broadcast the games. or a channel like spike tv

29. Duke Nukem replied to comment from ryan...

A lot of the big guys were big before crossfit. You would have to modify crossfit main page WODs quite a bit to add a lot of muscle. I'd be willing to bet almost all of them just did regular weight lifting.

30. ryan replied to comment from JENunez...

I heard rumors that glassman was approached by a TV station to broadcast the games, but he turned it down because they wanted to change the games to make it more "TV friendly"...not sure if that is true, but thats what i heard

31. Dominic wrote...

Congrats to everyone who competed and to HQ for making it happen. I can't wait to watch next year's games in person and to DVR it to watch again at home.

32. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

Joe, do you have 'stop whining' on a short code on your keyboard?

All week, in every chat room it's the same comment. Are you that one dimensional that all you can do is spread yourself around and indulge in petty oneupmanship?

how about a little positivity?

33. Dominic replied to comment from JENunez...

I bet they would but I think HQ probably needs to protect CrossFit and needs to have someone agree to their creative control so that it doesn't get twisted.

I would def payperview for this.

34. Alex replied to comment from ryan...

He used to be a body builder he spoke about that on Every Second Counts

35. Carl wrote...

Would anyone care to answer #23, Ben's question? "What was the final mens WOD?"

Please, that information is more ESSENTIAL than some of the other conversations going on.

Facts first, analysis later.

Thanks in advance.

36. Ben replied to comment from nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183...

Dude they had 5 events to place in the top 16 if you can't do it too bad. NCAA hoops tournament is one and done you don't get come back if top seed loses. Constantly varied which is an aspect alot of crossfitters to use enough (running or longer wods)

37. Tony wrote...

Joe,

You are a real dickhead! You've done nothing but fire off that hot mouth of yours all weekend when anyone has anything other than praise to offer.

Some comments are perhaps a bit off-beat, yes, but who are you to shoot everyone down. Get off your high horse you prick!

38. Carl wrote...

Would anyone care to answer #23, Ben's question? "What was the final mens WOD?"

Please, that information is more ESSENTIAL than some of the other conversations going on.

Facts first, analysis later.

Thanks in advance.

39. Ben replied to comment from Carl...

Thanks

40. Andy wrote...

final wod-http://twitpic.com/a5xwf

41. Mark wrote...

One thing for sure -- the Swedes will be back next year, and they'll have mastered the MU technique. 2010 will be a great competition.

42. dan replied to comment from Carl...

this was on twitter

15 squat cleans, 155/100lbs
30 toe2bar
30 box jumps
15/10 muscle ups
30 dumbbell push press, 40/25lbs
30 double unders
15 thrusters 135/95lbs
30 pullups
30 burpees
? walking lunge, with 45/? lb plate overhead

43. Duke Nukem replied to comment from Carl...

I don't think anyone here knows, because it wasn't posted on this website. Someone at the games would have to tell you or post it.

And to answer "Why no live broadcast at the ceremony" - it was my understanding that the radio broadcast wasn't even done at the event, it was just people calling in to a couple of guys on a computer at home. There doesn't seem to be anyone at HQ with the technical expertise to setup a live video/audio/anything for web broadcast at the games.

44. Chris replied to comment from ryan...

Milk, Lots of Milk.

45. Diane replied to comment from Tony...

I agree Tony. Joe do you have any constructive criticism? What is your expertise in all this, anyway.

46. Kat wrote...

I'm not saying this is the case, but think about it...
No live internet feed MAY bring more people to view the Games live. That would mean HQ actually makes some money on entrance fees to cover all the expenses they put into the Games. Also, the competitors feed off of the energy provided by the spectators. The yelling and screaming really does make a difference in those final seconds of a workout. Why would HQ want to potentially lose that?

47. Carl wrote...

Re 43. Thanks, Dan.

48. Olivia wrote...

Who won the womens competition?

49. Phil replied to comment from Olivia...

I heard that Tanya Wagner won

50. Kevin replied to comment from Kat...

Not sure on that one. I think with all the logistics of running the actual competition HQ wasn't overly concerned with keeping people informed. I don't think it was to draw more people to the actual event. Entrance fees for spectators add up to a mere pittance and I'm sure it cost a ton of money to run the event.

I think they'll definitely have to address the organization and disemination of information for next year. We all want to know what's happening and having a Twitter feed that's haphazardly updated probably won't be enough to satisfy the horde's need for updates...

51. Jonathan wrote...

Some people may complain about the events and obviously there will be some future changes (making sure there is an appropriate max weight for the deadlift) but at the end of the day...if you were ABOVE AVERAGE in every single "random and unknown" event, then you had a REALLY good shot at winning this thing. Isn't that a part of what crossfit is all about?

52. Joe wrote...

I'd like to apologize for my asinine behavior. I'll try to get over myself.

53. Jeran wrote...

I was hoping they'd stream the award ceremonies on crossfit radio. Maybe next year... A live webcam or something would be cool too.

54. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

stop whining Joe

55. Mark wrote...

Joe, you must be one miserable asshole. 99% of the people I've met in CF are positive, kind, supportive and motivated individuals. I guess someone(s) got to make up the remaining 1%. Aloha, Mark

56. Duke Nukem replied to comment from Jonathan...

If it were that simple Jonathan, everyone would agree with you. An example: Let's say the events were: Event 1: Max deadlift, Event 2: max press, Event 3: max squat Event 4: 1 mile run time. Can you see how this format would favor a huge guy, and leave anyone under 5'9" 200lbs (which, by the way, no one in the top 16 is under 5'9", avg height/weight was 6'0, 192lbs) with zero chance? Programming is a huge part of determining who is "fittest." If the programming isn't balanced, sure, you'll have strong competitors, but not necessarily the fittest--just the best at the unbalanced programming.

I really think for next year they should use the forums to let people give them ideas and expectations of what they'd like to see for next year. I think the ideas presented in these posts over the last 2 days have been really well thought out, and valid criticisms of massive oversights/errors in planning.

57. Pete wrote...

No reason to be such a complete a-hole Bro . . . .

Have a nice day!

58. Bill- CrossFit Renaissance wrote...

What an amazing display by all of the atheletes this weekend.

Khalipa won the spirit of the games award and rightly so.

I will be using the energy from this weekend to fuel my training and and encourage the atheletes at my gym to do the same.

59. Dave wrote...

agreed that there were some problems with the weekend. Having no gymnastic movement day 1, the disaster of a 16 way tie for first in the DL wOD, among others, but I think we can all agree that Mikko is a very deserved champion. He finished 2nd in the run, Deadlifted 495, then won the final chipper. He was well balanced in all areas which is exactly what the champion should be. As great as Khalipa was, finishing 4th to last in the run is not what Crossfit wants in their champ. They should be good at EVERYTHING. Mikko was...good for him and congrats to a worthy champion.

60. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

Duke,

just so I understand...who do you think the programming disadvantaged this time?

my view is that the events were pretty well balanced

61. America replied to comment from Duke Nukem...

What happened to you American CrossFit badasses? Bootcamp kicking your ass?

62. TG_Philly wrote...

Enough with the trash talking. It was an awesome event and both winners clearly deserved to win. That's why they're where they are and we're here running our mouths on the PC. Congrats to Tanya and Mikko and a well DESERVED victory! I don't think anyone in the history of CF has ever worked harder for this one..

63. df wrote...

I'm still not understanding just why Kalippa (who can't run well) is the CrossFit God. Does he walk on water?

64. Jonathan replied to comment from Duke Nukem...

I think that no matter how you put together the competition there are always going to be those who get "screwed". Certain people who were ousted after Day 1 could have demolished Day 2..we don't really know. You're right, somebody whose naturally 6'2 will always perform better than somebody whose 5'8 on certain events and vice versa. Unfortuantely, there isn't a formulated methodology in proving who is really the "fittest athlete". In my opinion, it simply can't really be done through a competition because the physical paramters are all quite different for each individual competing - to a certain extent. However, the crossfit games comes pretty darn close to getting a realistic champion.

65. Duke Nukem replied to comment from nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183...

Nick - basically short guys due to day 1 cut.

*** stats for top 16 men ***
Weight min: 168
Weight max: 235
Weight median: 192.5.

Height min: 5' 8.5"
max: 6' 2"
median: 6' 0.5"

In other words, no gymnastic/bodyweight movements = no short guys in it. I'm not saying the results would have been any different had they been included, but it would have been nice to see a better balance, no?

66. R wrote...

Mikko deserved that top spot. He was consistent across the board. Great come back effort from Jason Khalipa.

67. Dave wrote...

Name a sport where a certain body type wouldn't leave you at a disadvantage to compete. I don't see many 5'6" Division 1 basketball players. I don't see 5'5" 155 lb major league pitchers. I don't see many 6'6" 240 lb jockeys. It is what it is. A guy who's 5"9"-6'2" and weighs between 180 and 230 lbs is probably going to win this every year.

68. Duke Nukem replied to comment from df...

because df, it takes big balls to suck it up after basically finishing dead last on the run to come back and place top 5 or whatever he finished. That's calling "sucking it up" and still putting 100% effort in even when you have very little realistic chance to win after that.

69. bc replied to comment from df...

If you dont know why he is so revered after the past two games, then you never will. Great athlete.

70. R wrote...

163 Salo, Mikko 2 (37:44.6) 17 (495) 9 (01:08.6) 32 (06:24.4) 4 (12:14.7) 11 (190) 2 (152) 1 (19:46) 1 (78)
128 Hackenbruck, Tommy 14 (41:45.4) 24 (475) 17 (01:11.5) 1 (04:36.6) 2 (11:56) 9 (205) 9 (107) 7 (23:23.2) 2 (83)
136 Kelsey, Moe 28 (44:11.3) 1 (505) 24 (01:13) 3 (04:46.3) 8 (13:01) 5 (215) 13 (75) 9 (24:54) 3 (91)
176 Willis, Steve 33 (44:36.2) 20 (485) 4 (01:06.6) 15 (05:33.6) 9 (13:06.9) 5 (215) 5 (142) 10 (26:33) 4 (101)
101 Khalipa, Jason 72 (54:35.5) 1 (505) 13 (01:10) 13 (05:28.2) 1 (11:18.7) 2 (225) 2 (152) 2 (21:35.2) 5 (106)
121 Egyed, Peter 15 (41:58.8) 1 (505) 44 (01:20) 9 (05:10.6) 5 (12:35.3) 12 (185) 13 (75) 8 (24:25.7) 6 (107)
147 Morrison, Blair 4 (38:54.5) 44 (435) 23 (01:12.9) 21 (06:00) 3 (12:09.2) 5 (215) 7 (122) 4 (22:51.1) 7 (111)
114 Burke, Patrick 13 (41:42.7) 17 (495) 16 (01:11.1) 38 (06:31) 11 (13:11) 10 (195) 1 (172) 6 (23:10) 8 (112)
146 Millar, David 5 (39:20.3) 20 (485) 30 (01:14.3) 14 (05:30.7) 19 (15:19) 13 (175) 10 (98) 5 (23:02) 9 (116)
175 Wickham, DJ 47 (46:09.1) 1 (505) 3 (01:04.9) 50 (07:31.7) 7 (12:37) 2 (225) 6 (124) 11 (27:37) 10 (127)
122 FitzGerald, Michael 7 (40:08.8) 55 (425) 9 (01:08.6) 5 (04:53.5) 34 (18:16) 16 (145) 8 (120) 3 (22:13.7) 11 (137)
130 Hendel, Spencer 51 (46:21.3) 1 (505) 2 (01:03.4) 19 (05:50) 12 (13:21.6) 2 (225) 16 (27) 12 DNF 12 (103)
106 FitzGerald, James 6 (39:25.3) 37 (445) 11 (01:09.1) 8 (05:07.6) 25 (16:44.4) 13 (175) 4 (146) None DNF 13 (104)
138 Leonard, Jeff 53 (46:36.9) 24 (475) 12 (01:09.5) 2 (04:42.9) 9 (13:06.9) 1 (240) 10 (98) None DNF 14 (111)
169 Sveinbjornsson, Sveinbjorn 8 (40:17.6) 44 (435) 1 (01:01) 4 (04:52.8) 33 (17:52.4) 13 (175) 15 (51) None DNF 15 (118)
103 Thiel, Jeremy 16 (42:17.6) 1 (505) 27 (01:13.3) 46 (07:05.2) 13 (13:23.1) 5 (215) 10 (98) None DNF 16 (118)

71. Dave wrote...

Name a sport where a certain body type wouldn't leave you at a disadvantage to compete. I don't see many 5'6" Division 1 basketball players. I don't see 5'5" 155 lb major league pitchers. I don't see many 6'6" 240 lb jockeys. It is what it is. A guy who's 5"9"-6'2" and weighs between 180 and 230 lbs is probably going to win this every year.

72. Scott Schactler wrote...

way to go northwest! won the affiliate cup and got #2&3 spots on the individual men and #2 for women! way to go charity, moe, and tommy! and the NW Crossfit Crew!

73. TG_Philly wrote...

df -- noones saying he is. There's no denying that his performance today was badass as hell. Don't exaggerate what people are saying.

Stop stirring up controversy where there isn't any. These athletes just completed the most grueling test of strength and stamina in the history of CrossFit. Let's give them the recognition they deserve and not argue about the stupid thigns.

74. TG_Philly wrote...

df -- noones saying he is. There's no denying that his performance today was badass as hell. Don't exaggerate what people are saying.

Stop stirring up controversy where there isn't any. These athletes just completed the most grueling test of strength and stamina in the history of CrossFit. Let's give them the recognition they deserve and not argue about the stupid thigns.

75. Beth wrote...

Way to go CrossFit Central!!! 2nd place affiliate team! Carey Kepler-3rd place woman! Crystal McReynolds-9th place woman! You are all awesome!

76. tomh wrote...

The stats left by Duke (comment 66) read like average to me.

Everyone I know in crossfit is between 5.8 amd 6.2 and 168# and 235#.

I'm thinking his point is not too compelling . . .

77. Andy replied to comment from Dave...

For one thing Mikko is like 165, as well as OPT who won in 07. So the 180 to 230 thing is way off. 66% of the time the winner has been under 6 ft. and under 180

78. Duke Nukem replied to comment from Dave...

You might be right Dave. But without any gymnastic stuff in day 1, I guess we'll never know. Maybe next year the programming will be good enough that there won't be much of an argument, but just like last year, there will definitely be people scratching their heads at the programming choices of day 1.

tomh, you don't work out with any guys under 5'8.5"? 5'9"-10" is the avg height in the USA, so you must be surrounded by giants or something. Speal, Dutch, etc.. all under 5'9".

79. ral wrote...

I'm 6-3 and I don't consider myself to be be a monster at all - yet I would have been the tallest person in the final 16. How does anyone think that these events favored bigger athletes? Just as there were no 5-7 athletes, there were none who were 6-5, but no one is saying it was skewed against big guys.

The average athlete in the top 16 was 6-0, 192 - that sounds like a pretty AVERAGE height and weight for an athletic man.

80. dave replied to comment from Duke Nukem...

Duke..I agree 1000 % that there should have been a gymnastic element to day 1..specifically one of the first 2 WODS. I was rooting for Spealler to do well. It's amazing that a guy who won the run, then DL's almost 3x his bodyweight ends up so far back. It's tough for him, but unless they change the rules, its hard to see how he can win this given his size. There will always be a heavy element to these games where he will place near the bottom. In the meantime, the right guy won it. He is a stud..2nd in run , then DL's 495. amazing!!!

81. JamesS wrote...

Congrats to Mikko and Tanya! The best athletes won.

Salo is 174cm and 80kg (5ft 8.5" and 176lbs) btw.

82. Matt, CrossFit Orange wrote...

Scoring after the cut off day should be adjusted to reflect how many people are left. If you eliminate all but 16 folks, they're scores from day 1 should be adjusted based just on if it was the top 16 competing. As an example, take Khalipa - change his score on the run from a 72nd place, to 16th place, and maybe it's a different story. I understand that the events that are picked, the way it is scored, really determines who is the winner and that adjustments here and there will yield a different outcome. I've got no issue with that. It just makes sense (at least to me) to "start over" on day 2. You have the top 16 based on all the events in day 1. Take those top 16 competitors and then "re-score" the day 1 events as if it had only been those 16 competing. Instead of having someone get 50 or 70 points because of a bad event, they'll get 16.
Anyway, just wondering if any results would have been changed with this format.

83. Kizzee replied to comment from Matt, CrossFit Orange...

Yes. Jason would have won. Check the main forums in competition area for mroe detail results.

84. jaime wrote...

I've got it down in my book....
1. Mikko
2. Jason

No doubt the scoring formula will be different next time.

P.S. hey Joe-go crawl back under the rock you came from.

85. bmizzlle wrote...

well Khalipa is a beast and a great guy but even Dave Castro beat his time on the run, and Dave was not really giving it his all. I think everyone Mikko Salo deserved to win.

86. Mike D wrote...

Freaking huge props to Tanya Wagner. She dominated the entire games. Only one WOD in which she did not finish top ten. Oh and in the WOD she didn't, she got 11th. That is freaking amazing.

87. Chris wrote...

How was the tie between Carey Kepler and Kristan Clever broken?

88. warren wrote...

Congratulations to Peter Egyed. I've had the great privilege of watching this young guy train for the last couple of years, and am absolutely ecstatic to see him place 6th this year in such an incredible field of competitors. Not only has he trained hard and smart to get to the games, he's also managed to study hard in college, open a CrossFit affiliate (along with his three partners), and do an incredible job of introducing dozens and dozens of people to a whole new health, nutrition, and fitness lifestyle as a CrossFit trainer. Can't be more proud of you, Pete!

89. Scott wrote...

Yes, it would have been cool to see the top 30 in. There were some strong competitors in that group. I don't like the sledge either...pounding a stake into the ground does require strength but I'd argue at least (if not more) of it is experience doing that specific movement. It's hard to hit the top of a narrow stake swinging strongly...takes practice to get good. Seems a bit more specialized than cross...Just my 2 cents, feel free to comment otherwise. A great event all in all.

90. Mike D wrote...

Kristan Clever was 6.3 seconds away from third place. Had she beaten Carey Kepler on the very first WOD she'd have taken Carey's place. Just goes to show how close people can still be after 7 WOD's in two days. Great programming I say.

91. Aussie wrote...

So, a couple of open questions. CF has succefully gone global, as the "World" Games we've all just witnessed proves testament too. Who would have guessed you'd see nationals of Finland, America, Iceland, Australia, Canada etc in the finals just a year or two ago. Its nothing short of breath taking. That is quite aside from the virtual super-human effort and performance.

Where does it go now? Televised (US centric pay-per-view? global?), much larger global sponsors (why arent ALL health insurance companies all over this already)? Athlete's getting major sponsorships (who is the Michael Jordon or Tiger Woods of CF?) More stringent and random drug testing? Even more reach across the globe in search for supreme all-round athletes? And when does it compete head to head with the likes of the Olympics for recognition of truly exceptional athleticism, or is that just not relevant?

It's worth noting, perhaps with a biased eye b/c I think CF is awesome, upon reading any translated history on the original concepts behind the Olympics, the stuff we just saw this past weekend is exactly what they where talking about all those years ago in Greece.

What an amazing time we live in to witness the birth and early development of this phenomenal pursuit.

92. Mike D replied to comment from Chris...

Chris, they each had 1 first place finish and 1 second place finish but Carey had 3 third place finishes while Kristan had two. Like I said above had Kristan taken Carey on the first WOD their places would have switched.

93. Brian PCF wrote...

We did play-by-play throughout the weekend, click on my name for a recap - just the facts - amazing performances by all the athletes.

94. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 replied to comment from Duke Nukem...

Duke,

you know, I agree with you that some more gymnastics type stuff on the first day may have allowed the smaller guys to improve their positionings.

But it is also true that almost all sports except the fighting ones favour bigger, stronger over smaller, less strong athletes. Actually Crossfit is more balanced than most

only partly relevant but I love Bill Parcells quote - "you can't teach Big!"

95. Jason A wrote...

Congrats Charity Vale!!! Stellar job!

96. ken c wrote...

congrats to mikko and tanya. they earned great wins in the most diverse crossfit games yet. great job carey and chrystal. you awesome girls made texas proud today. amazing comeback by khalipa. must have been epic to watch.

df

khalipa is actually a pretty good runner (sub 20 min 5k and sub 5:30 mile as i understand) he just crammped up on the run and had a bad day on the hill. amazing athlete to suffer through cramps and come back as he did. but somehow i think this explanation will be lost on a troll like yourself.

to the joe haters.

he may have an obnoxious way of expressing himself but he's mostly been right all day. stop all the second guessing of the programming and the scoring. i bet none of the competitors are complaining about it. hq did an amazing job of putting together great workouts. just because many of our favorites didn't make it to day 2 doesn't mean its not a legit competition. they had to limit the field to 16 men and women in order to do the workouts they did on day 2. more people the shorter the workouts have to be. obviously hq decided to put greater importance on endurance and brute strength out of the gate. we all just need to go get fitter and stronger.

97. Shannon replied to comment from Ralph...

Hey Ralph, I enjoyed reading your comment and I think your opinion will be well thought out for next years competition. I don't think anyone would/should take that as bashing but more as constructive critism. Thank you for the ccmment =)

Shannon

98. Jon wrote...

A lot of talk about the scoring system lately. I agree that Saturday's WODs should not have been weighted any more than Sunday's, or at least certainly not as much as they were. But enough about that. I just wanted to say that while there's been a lot of theorizing about how Khalipa would've fared under different systems, let's not forget the dominating performance of Charity Vale in the last WOD. How old is she, 16? I don't know whether she deserves to be in Tanya's spot or not, but man it was great to watch.

Congratulations to all the competitors, finals or not! Two WODs in a weekend is hard enough...

99. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

Aussie,

like the point about the Olympic ideals. Very true.

Big props to the Scandas - as with strong men competitions, they really bat above their weight.

re the future - if Glassman has any sense, he'll employ Mikko Salo right now and take him to the US as a PR tool/ambassador.

100. Shane S replied to comment from Jon...

16? Charity is 32.

101. swa replied to comment from Jon...

Jon,

She's (charity) is a mother of 3 young girls and I agree she put up some great numbers!!!!!

102. Brett Nakfoor wrote...

Guys, is it just me or is this site pretty bad for up to the minute reporting?

I had no idea who won or what the final WOD was for hours after the event.

I still have no idea what the final WOD was and it's 8:07 PM.

We need alot of work on reporting here.

103. chris wrote...

joe,

you fail to keep in mind the crossfit definition of fitness. area under the curve. please understand that concept. khalipa is obviously an outstanding athlete. he is also no longer crowned as the crossfit fittest man alive. i think we should all seriously analyze the results and the definitions which make those results what they are.

huge congrats to all athletes. what an event

104. Wayne wrote...

Chart of the top 16 men:
http://www.quicksnapper.com/wvl/image/crossfit-games-2009-men-0000

105. Wayne wrote...

Chart of the women. Regardless of scoring controversy for the men, Tanya Wagner dominated this whole event.
http://www.quicksnapper.com/wvl/image/crossfit-games-2009-women/

106. Jon replied to comment from Shane S...

Haha! Must have her confused with someone else...

But either way, as swa said, those were great numbers. I'm even more impressed now hearing she's a mother of three than I was when I believed she was 16. Come to think of it, I don't know how the heck I came to believe that...

107. LJH wrote...

Hey all, Hack came out of nowhere and snagged second by a ling shot....only European champ beat him by 5 points. How amazing is that? What a stud and a great guy to boot. He's someone special to watch.

108. Ryan replied to comment from Jon...

Charity is 32..

109. SWA wrote...

Congratulations to Jenny Olson and Charity Vale!!!! Great work we enjoyed keeping up with the Tweets!

Well done.

110. Wayne wrote...

And, if each workout had been given equal weight, by reranking the top 16 in the first 5 events, it would have played out like this, with Khalipa edging out Mikko Salo:
http://www.quicksnapper.com/wvl/image/crossfit-games-2009-men-alternate-scoring-straight-ranking/

111. Ryan wrote...

What I think is interesting is how a lot of the top guys were from the last chance qualifier...

I know Tommy missed qualifying at the Northwest qualifier by one spot after CRUSHING the only actual WOD (all other events were completely strength).

Maybe this will lead to insight about how to structure the qualifiers...standardized qualifiers maybe? I mean, there must have been a TON of last chance qualifier submissions and the compilation of WODs used to determine those who did qualify really brought some amazing athletes into the games.

112. Greg replied to comment from Wayne...

Nice charts.

I was there and there was all sort of scoring "buzz" going around. Let's just say the competitors know what's really up.

The winner has been crowned. Congrats Mikko! Let's stop the debates.

113. Jon wrote...

Does everyone realize that Jason Khalipa collapsed on the run? He wasn't just a slow big guy. He came back after medical gave him fluids to PR his deadlift at 505lbs, then proceeded to smash all of the other workouts. He is #1 in my book just because of last years and this years efforts. That's just my opinion, obviously.

114. Brett_CrossfitNQ replied to comment from Brian PCF...

Brian you guys were awesome during the games , thanks heaps!

115. nick in sydney m/37/6ft/183 wrote...

and Wayne, if my Auntie were a man she'd be my uncle

116. Lei wrote...

We always talk about area under the curve...for those who are mathematically inclined, the integral of the power vs. time graph for an individual athlete. Here's an idea for next year's scoring:
PLOT THE DATA - CONNECT THE DOTS ON THE GRAPH - FIGURE OUT THE AREA UNDER THE CURVE! MAX AREA IS WINNER! Not sure why we are straying away from the definition of most fit with silly scoring systems when we have already defined it as area under the curve. Just make sure the programming includes WODs that operate in a wide range of time domains.

117. Driz wrote...

Can anyone point me to clear descriptions for all of the events in one place, please? I've seen the results table.

Unless I've missed it (possible, yes), it would be quite something to publish a simple results-by-event listing. Not sure why that's so hard.

118. Chef Michael replied to comment from Ralph...

I agree with the points you make, absolutely valid. There will and rightly should be lots of discussion today to make next year and subsequent years Games better.