This season’s 12 CrossFit Games qualifying events are finally complete, and we now know the 30 men and 30 women heading to Albany. That said, things look a lot different than we’re accustomed to seeing.
Between injuries, retirements, athletes choosing to forego the CrossFit Games season, or simply failing to qualify, there are a fair number of household names who will be absent from the lineup this August.
- In fact, out of the 80 athletes who participated in the Games last year, only 15 men and 15 women are on the roster for this year.
Who Won’t Be at the 2025 CrossFit Games
The Women
On the women’s side, it’s possible that we won’t see any of the top four finishers from last year’s Games this summer in Albany, NY. Here’s who is missing:
Bethany Flores
Last year’s fourth-place finisher only completed three of the five workouts during this year’s In-Affiliate Semifinals and then withdrew from the Northern California Classic In-Person Qualifying Event (IPQE) due to “personal reasons.”
Emily Rolfe
Last year’s third-place finisher missed earning her invite at the Mayhem Classic by just one spot when she finished third. She didn’t compete in the In-Affiliate Semifinals, and then she withdrew from the Fittest Experience due to an injury.
She competed one more time at the Northern California Classic but still wasn’t healthy, as she skipped two of the workouts.
Gabi Migala
Migala, who finished second in 2024, is recovering from a second torn Achilles in recent months. She first tore her Achilles in October at the Rogue Invitational. Then, after what she called “a failed surgery,” she re-tore it in February and had a second surgery.
Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr
The seven-time CrossFit Games champion did earn an invitation to this summer’s Games via the Toran Pro IPQE. Still, it’s unclear whether or not she will accept her invite after announcing her retirement (sort of) following her win at the Torian.
Six Other Notable Women
Laura Horvath: The 2023 CrossFit Games champion decided to forego the 2025 CrossFit Games season. She is, however, competing in the World Fitness Project (WFP) but finished only ninth at the Tour Event I in Indianapolis, IN.
Emma Lawson: The 2022 Rookie of the Year and 2023 silver medalist also sat out this year’s CrossFit Games season, citing a nagging injury. Like Horvath, she, too, is competing in the WFP and finished sixth at the Tour Event I.
Annie Thorisdottir: Earlier this season, the 12-time Games veteran and mother of two opted not to compete in the CrossFit Games season “for moral reasons” stemming from Lazar Đukić’s tragic death at last summer’s Games.
- “I feel very, very disappointed in how [CrossFit has] handled everything and what happened, obviously. That’s the biggest thing,” Thorisdottir told the Buttery Bros in their film, These Women Changed Fitness Forever.
The 35-year-old Thorisdottir, who is still only one year postpartum, didn’t compete in the World Fitness Project, either. Whether she will retire or come back next year is anyone’s guess.
Katrin Davidsdottir: The 10-time Games vet announced her retirement in December and is currently pregnant with her first child.
Dani Speegle: The five-time Games athlete didn’t compete as an individual at any of this season’s qualifying events, but she is competing in the WFP. Speegle also competed on a team that finished 11th at the In-Affiliate Semifinals, so it looks like we will be seeing her in the team competition at this summer’s Games.
Kara Saunders: After winning the Games on a team last year, the 11-time Games athlete announced her retirement, saying, “I won’t be looking to qualify for the CrossFit anymore.”
Other notable 2024 Games athletes we won’t see on the competition floor in Albany include:
- Emma Tall
- Paige Semenza
- Karin Frey
- Elisa Fuliano
- Emma McQuaid
- Victoria Campos
The Men
On the men’s side, we won’t be seeing three of last year’s top six at this summer’s CrossFit Games: Brent Fikowski, Patrick Vellner, and Sam Kwant.
Brent Fikowski
The nine-time Games veteran announced his retirement last fall after competing at the Rogue Invitational, saying that he wanted to focus on his role as the President of the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association (PFAA).
Pat Vellner
The five-time CrossFit Games podium finisher chose to sit out the CrossFit Games season this year. He is, however, competing in the WFP.
- Vellner has been clear that he is not retiring: “I’m not stepping away from the sport, in fact this year I’ll be competing more than ever,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “But if you’re looking for me on the CrossFit Games leaderboard in a couple of weeks just know I won’t be hitting submit on my Open registration form, and that it’s intentional.”
Sam Kwant
The quiet and consistent Kwant didn’t manage to earn an invite to the Games this season. The seven-time Games veteran came close at the In-Affiliate Semifinals; he finished 15th, missing a Games invite by just four spots. Kwant did not compete in any other IPQEs this season.
Six Other Notable Men
Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson: After qualifying for the Games for the last 11 years in a row, we will not be seeing Iceland’s Guðmundsson there this year. Like Kwant, he elected not to compete in any IPQEs. He did, however, compete in the In-Affiliate Semifinals and finished outside the cutline in 22nd.
Cole Sager: After 11 straight Games appearances, we will not see a 12th from Sager this summer. He chose not to participate in the 2025 Games season, but also said, “This isn’t a retirement post.”
- “This is more like a ‘I’ll see you around’ post.’ I’m not done with athletics; I’m just done with the CrossFit Games,” Sager added.
Chandler Smith: Like Sager, Smith, a four-time Games vet, also chose to forego the 2025 CrossFit Games season, but is fully committed to the WFP. He finished 14th at the Tour Event I.
- Like Thorisdottir, Smith’s decision was based on his frustrations with CrossFit, saying in an Instagram post that he doesn’t think the brand “has done enough to make me believe that it is serious about doing things differently in regards to giving athlete concerns around safety, structure, and fairness the ability to affect what happens on the floor.”
Gui Maleiros: The four-time Brazilian star elected not to compete in the 2025 CrossFit Games season. He did, however, still compete at the Mayhem Classic and placed sixth. He’s also competing in the WFP season and finished 12th overall at Tour Event I.
Saxon Panchik: Originally, the six-time Games veteran announced he would compete in the 2025 Games season, and he also signed a Pro Card to compete in the WFP. Though he ultimately did not compete in either, he joined the WFP leadership team as the Head of Community Initiatives.
Other notable 2024 Games athletes we won’t see on the competition floor in Albany include:
- Luka Đukić
- Travis Mayer
- Jelle Hoste
- Cole Greasehaber
- Bayley Martin
- Alexandre Caron
The Big Picture
The 2025 season is shaping up to be one of the most transitional in the sport’s history, with more than a handful of familiar athletes absent from the Games roster.
At the same time, this shift opens the door for new names to make their mark and maybe even step onto the podium at the 2025 CrossFit Games.
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Credit: Scott Freymond
