Age is Just a Number: The CrossFit Games Podium

For various reasons, two of the men and five of the women that finished in the top 10 at the CrossFit Games in 2022 are not competing this year. Three of those seven athletes were on the podium, meaning we are guaranteed to have new podium finishers this year. It is uncertain where these podium finishers will come from; will they be from the group of older experienced Games athletes? Or will they emerge from a group of younger athletes quickly making a name for themselves?

Women’s Average Age of the Podium By Day at the Games

In recent CrossFit Games there have been frequent changes in terms of who occupies podium positions day by day. In 2022, we had the youngest podium for three days when Tia-Clair Toomey, Mallory O’Brien, and Emma Lawson were in those positions (prior to Laura Horváth overtaking Lawson for the final podium position). 

2023 Current Women’s Podium

1. Emma Lawson – 18 years old
2. Laura Horváth – 26 years old
3. Arielle Loewen – 29 years old

With one more day of competition, there is still a chance for 4th place Alexis Raptis (24 years old) to fight for a spot on the podium. If she were to replace Loewen we’d have a podium on par with 2022 that is trending younger for the women. 

Men’s Average Age of the Podium By Day at the Games

The men’s podium is consistently older than the women’s podium. In fact, the youngest men’s podium is only 3.6 years less than the oldest women’s podium across the breadth of this study. The average age of the podium in 2022 did not change over the course of the competition, it 26.0 years old at the end of every day. However, 2023 is on track to be the oldest podium in the past three years with the current podium being an average age of 29 years old.

Current Men’s Podium

1. Roman Khrennikov – 28 years old
2. Jeffrey Adler – 29 years old
3. Chandler Smith – 30 years old

Patrick Vellner (33) is 16 points off the podium. With an expected three more tests on Sunday, it’s certainly possible for him to claim one of those spots. If Vellner makes his way back on the podium, the podium average age will increase to 30 years old. Brent Fikowski (32) is also in striking distance being only 22 points off of the podium in 5th place and would also drag that number up. 

The Old and the Young

An opposite trend exists in the men’s and the women’s fields. While the men’s podium is jockeyed over by the elder statesmen in the field, the younger women seem to be ascending in their division. Despite the fact that those trends are heading in opposite directions there is one guarantee; come the close of competition on Sunday we will have brand new CrossFit Games champions in both the men’s and women’s divisions.