This was hard. Hard because in its relatively short lifespan, the CrossFit Games has had its fair share of memorable moments over the years. Moments of triumphant victory and earth-shattering defeat. Moments displaying the sheer will of the human spirit and some giving us a glimpse of the future. But that’s why we love sports, right? The unscripted drama, the unpredictability, the pressure in the biggest moments are just some of the reasons we keep coming back for more.

It was harder than expected to narrow this list down to just five moments (which is exactly why I cheated and threw in two honorable mentions). The nature of the sport is a highlight reel of the human condition and that determination is on display every time the athletes take the floor. So, after much deliberation, here are my top five moments in CrossFit Games history in no particular order.

Honorable Mentions

Julie Tears Her Achilles


Heading into the 2015 CrossFit Games season, Julie Foucher wasn’t just the favorite to walk away with the title in the newly formed Central Super Regional, but to contend for the title at the Games as well. After taking 3rd at the Games the year prior, and with a professional career as a doctor looming on the horizon, Julie decided this would be her final year as a serious CF competitor.

Unfortunately for Julie, during event three at Regionals, a workout that included 100 box jump-overs, she ruptured her Achilles, effectively ending her professional CF career. Rather than withdrawing from the competition, she decided to press on, do what she could and cement her legacy as one of the most badass women in the sport.

Nothing solidified this more than watching her finish the next event, a 250-foot handstand walk, unbroken, while her casted foot waved in the air to the deafening cheers of everyone in the stadium. Because this moment happened at Regionals and not the Games, I knew I couldn’t “officially” include it, but there’s no way you can talk about top CF moments in history and leave Julie off this list.

Josh Bridges and the Killer Kage


2011 was Josh Bridges’ formal introduction to this world. Known before only from posting insane times on the main CF site’s comment section, Bridges exploded onto the scene and took 2nd overall at the Games to some guy named Rich. The ending of the Killer Kage event was the moment the Josh Bridges we all know and love was born. It’s something we’re all too used to at this point: lifting weight way over what you think his frame could handle, a dramatic finish and that patented Bridges celebration — a celebration which spawned the classic CF commercial.

More than that, it was the moment I knew this fitness program as an actual sport had some legs. I watched this event live with my friend who at the time had no interest or idea what the sport even was. When Bridges made the final turn on the monkey bars and chased down Matt Chan like a real-life Spiderman, my friend stood up and cheered. It was in that moment I knew maybe CF had something here.

The List

1. Annie’s First Muscle-Up


Annie Thorisdottir — yes, that Annie Thorisdottir — got her first muscle-up during the 2009 CrossFit Games. Think about that for a minute: a woman, competing at the highest level in our sport, unable to do a muscle-up. By today’s standards, that’s unheard of. Yet, heading into the final event of the 2009 CF Games, Annie Thorisdottir (who was currently sitting in 2nd place at the time!) had never done one.

The final chipper had, you guessed it, muscle-ups right smack in the middle. Failed attempt after failed attempt ensued. Annie, refusing to give up, tried and tried again until finally — and after a bit of coaching from her judge — got over the hurdle and did her first muscle-up on the biggest stage. Two short years later she would be standing atop the podium for the first time.

2. Rich Plus Ropes

If there were a list of infamous fitness videos, Rich Froning falling off the rope during the 2010 CrossFit Games final would be right at the top. Rich was leading the field going into the final event before hitting a roadblock in the form of a 20-foot rope. His inability to climb the rope cost him the title of Fittest on Earth that year.

Flash-forward to a year later, the first night event at the Games gets announced, and to the commentators’ delight, the workout calls for 15 rope climbs coupled with varying weights of clean and jerk. The narrative was written; the questions and doubt began to rise. Everyone always remembers the video of Rich falling off the rope, but nobody remembers the night event a year later. Froning not only learned how to climb the rope, he learned how to do it better than everyone else. He dismantled the field in that workout and continued to do so for rest of that competition — a trend that basically continued for the next four years.

3. Spealler Does Whatever It Takes


Chris Spealler is a legend when it comes to the sport. Don’t let his 5’5”, 140-pound frame fool you. When Spealler stepped out on the floor, he was as fierce a competitor as they come, routinely lifting weights and doing things on the floor that left the crowd scratching their head in awe of what they were witnessing.

No better moment so clearly defined this than watching Spealler push a sled stacked to the brim with plates during the 2011 CrossFit Games. Everything was in play. His arm, legs, even the side of his head were all used to get the sled moving. How’s that saying go? “An immovable object meets an unstoppable force?” Spealler vs. the sled provides the answer.

4. Jen Smith Finishes


Jen Smith entered the 2016 CrossFit Games following heartbreak the previous two years at the Regional level. In 2014, she missed qualification by two spots. In 2015, she missed it by only one! After qualifying, 2016 was set to be her triumphant return.

Then, in a devilish twist of fate, she tore her plantar fascia halfway through the first event. After consulting with the medical staff and considering all the endless work and sacrifice it took to finally get there, Jen Smith, and her unyielding will, decided to continue the competition. There was no better moment at the 2016 CrossFit Games than watching her take on Murph. After hobbling off the start line (and for the rest of the opening mile), she completed all 100 chest-to-bar pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 squats (all with a 14-pound vest) before heading out on her second mile.

When she returned to the stadium, she was greeted by a roar from the crowd unlike anything before. The final buzzer went before she could officially cross the finish line, but that didn’t stop her. She marched across the field, arms raised in the air and finished the workout to an even louder cheer. She had come too far to stop now.

5. Toomey by Two


This was a finale years in the making. In the two years prior to this one, Katrin Davidsdottir wore the crown as fittest on earth, with Tia-Clair Toomey standing right beside her playing second fiddle. Both years the margin was razor thin, the final workout wrapped with both women sitting on the mat waiting to see how the points would shake out.

But this year was different. A fitter, more confident Tia showed up in Madison not to have the title given to her but to take it for herself. After jockeying back and forth all weekend atop the leaderboard, Tia found herself in first place with one event remaining. She was in the driver seat.

What unfolded in the final event was, in my mind, the single most exciting race in Games history. The workout finished with a 90-foot overhead lunge with 35-pound kettlebells. Everyone could see what was happening. Tia marched down the floor, weights overhead, Kara Saunders, the woman right behind her in the standings, trying to chase her down. Tia gets a no-rep and drops the weight on her final step. A dive across the finish line and we were back exactly where we were a year ago. Both women sat on the floor, waiting for the bean counters to tally the score. But like I said earlier, this year was different. This was Tia’s year and she prevailed by the thinnest of margins — a mere two points – to finally claim the prize she had been waiting three years to hold.

Main image: Annie Thorisdottir/Instagram

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