When you think about the fittest man on earth, there’s one name that comes to mind: Mat Fraser.
And Rich Froning. Okay, fine. There are two names that come to mind.
But there’s another athlete who’s been creeping his way up the leaderboard for the last several years, and he says it, plain as day, right in his Instagram bio: He’s happy, but HUNGRY.
We’re talking about Noah Ohlsen.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGQQzWilFeJ/
Ohlsen has made remarkable progress over the years. In 2016, after finishing the Games in 15th place, he wasn’t on many people’s radars. But in 2017, he proved his efforts and finished in fourth. (It would’ve been fifth, but original third-place finisher Ricky Gerard was disqualified.)
2018 saw Ohlsen in sixth place, but he wasn’t about to quit — not even close. He finished the 2019 CrossFit Games as the second fittest man on earth, with 949 points, behind Mat Fraser’s 984. Not a huge gap, all things considered.
And this year? Oh, this year, it’s on. Ohlsen’s not playing any games. He’s currently in second place, with the second and final stage of the Games in California still to go. And he’s got 488 points, so he’s got some catching up to do to beat Fraser, who currently has 656.
Numbers aside, Ohlsen has made it clear: He’s out to win. So the question is… can he?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGDaWL8hRI2/
Ohlsen isn’t exactly new to the CrossFit scene. He’s been competing in the Open and the now-defunct Regionals since 2012. And his first appearance at the Games was in 2014. Oh, and BTW? In 2014 and 2015, he finished in eighth place, before dropping to 15th in 2016.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEIU9D4Bm08/
All of this is to say that Ohlsen has always been there, hovering, lurking, waiting for his chance to pounce and secure that spot at the top of the podium.
Really, we know that Ohlsen is capable of winning. The actual question is can he beat Fraser? Fraser is kind of like Froning in that if he’s there, you assume he’s going to win. And for a good reason: He’s walked away from the Games victorious for the last four years.
The two athletes are roughly of the same age and build. And actually, Fraser didn’t start competing in CrossFit until 2013 – one year after Ohlsen. However, what Fraser might have over Ohlsen is consistency. He qualified for the Games one year sooner than Ohlsen, in 2014, and he nabbed two second-place finishes, followed by four first-place finishes. Dancing all over the leaderboard is not something Fraser is familiar with.
So, will that be it? Will it come down to Fraser’s consistency, or will 2020 bring us a new fittest man on earth?
It’s a question we’ve asked before, but with different athletes. We used to wonder if anyone could beat Rich. Did we really get an answer? Not quite, since he moved to the team competition before anyone was able to outdo him. Now we’ve got Fraser who, like Froning, seems unbeatable.
Ohlsen is out to prove that wrong. How do you think he’ll finish out the 2020 CrossFit Games? Will we finally see Ohlsen leading the pack on the podium?
Main image: Noah Ohlsen/Instagram
