Does Dave Castro’s “Triple Crown” Have Any Merit To It?

Image Credit: Athlete’s Eye Photography

On Dave Castro’s “Week in Review” this week he brought up the concept of a “Triple Crown”. This is not a new idea for himself, nor for many other people in the space. However if there is a person in the position to bring something like this to life, with meaning behind it, he’s as good a candidate as anyone because of his job and influence, but not because of his, or his team’s understanding of what he’s suggesting. Let’s start by looking backwards and see how this would have played out from 2018 through 2022 (5 years). 

We will, however, include the Dubai Fitness Championship, which not only still do exist, but exist as this name, not the one Dave used in his video. Although it is not really how I personally would have done it, we will use Dave’s model of only considering the top-20 from the CrossFit Games each season: 

2018 (Pre-Rogue Invitational)

2018	CF Games	Dubai	WZA (2019)
Mathew Fraser	1	1	–
Patrick Vellner	2	–	1
Lukas Hogberg	3	–	–
Brent Fikowski	4	–	–
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	5	2	–
Noah Ohlsen	6	–	3
Cole Sager	7	–	–
Rasmus Andersen	8	–	–
Willy Georges	9	3	–
Cody Anderson	10	–	–
Scott Panchik	11	–	–
Ben Smith	12	–	–
Alex Anderson	13	–	11
Dean Linder Leighton	14	–	–
Logan Collins	15	–	–
Adrian Mundwiler	16	–	–
Lukas Esslinger	17	–	–
James Newbury	18	–	–
Saxon Panchik	19	–	5
Nicholas Urankar	20	–	–

2018	CF Games	Dubai	WZA (2019)
Tia-Clair Toomey	1	–	–
Laura Horvath	2	33	–
Katrin Davidsdottir	3	–	1
Kara Saunders	4	–	–
Annie Thorisdottir	5	35	–
Kari Pearce	6	–	2
Kristin Holte	7	–	–
Brooke Wells	8	–	–
Kristi Eramo	9	–	–
Cassidy Lance McWherter	10	–	–
Jamie Greene	11	2	–
Tennil Beuerlein	12	–	–
Camille Leblanc-Bazinet	13	–	–
Alessandra Pichelli	14	–	–
Amanda Barnhart	15	–	–
Bethany Shadburne	16	–	5
Ehea Schuerch	17	–	–
Mekenzie Riley	18	–	3
Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault	19	–	–
Madeline Sturt	20	–	–

Conclusion: Not a single athlete did all three events that season. Seven men and seven women competed in two of the three. The lowest point totals would have belonged to: 

• Mat Fraser with 2 points
• Katrin Davidsdottir with 4 points

2019 (First year of Rogue)

Unlike Dave’s suggestion, we will factor in any athlete who did the Games, made the top-20, and did at least two of the three offseason majors:

2019	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2020)
Mat Fraser	1	1	–	–
Noah Ohlsen	2	8	–	3
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	3	–	4	–
Scott Panchik	4	7	–	–
James Newbury	5	–	–	–
Jacob Heppner	6	–	–	–
Matt McLeod	7	–	–	–
Adrian Mundwiler	8	–	–	8
Saxon Panchik	9	–	–	4
Will Moorad	10	–	–	–
Cole Sager	11	3	–	–
Travis Mayer	12	6	19	2
Samuel Kwant	13	–	–	–
Logan Collins	14	–	–	10
Chandler Smith	15	5	–	–
Patrick Vellner	16	2	2	1
Lukas Hogberg	17	18	–	–
Joshua Wichtrup	18	–	–	–
Elliot Simmonds	19	–	10	–
Casper Gammelmark	20	16	–	21

2019	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2020)
Tia-Clair Toomey	1	1	–	1
Kristin Holte	2	5	–	4
Jamie Greene	3	–	5
Katrin Davidsdottir	4	4	–
Kari Pearce	5	6	–	2
Haley Adams	6	–	–
Amanda Barnhart	7	–	–
Bethany Shadburne	8	–	–
Thuri Helgadottir	9	–	–
Danielle Brandon	10	–	–
Annie Thorisdottir	11	3	–
Carolyne Prevost	12	–	–
Alessandra Pichelli	13	–	7
Laura Horvath	14	19	–
Brooke Wells	15	7	–
Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault	16	–	–	8
Samantha Briggs	17	–	3
Emily Rolfe	18	–	6
Sara Sigmundsdottir	19	2	1	3
Emma McQuaid	20	–	–

Conclusion: Four men are eligible from this year, they are Noah Ohlsen, Travis Mayer, Patrick Vellner, and Casper Gammelmark. Mayer and Vellner did all four, so we will drop their lowest total. That means the men’s “Triple Crown” results that year would be: 

1. Pat Vellner – 5 Points (but that’s dropping the Games, which Castro may not like)
2. Noah Ohlsen – 13 points
3. Travis Mayer – 20 points (dropping Dubai)
4. Casper Gammelmark – 57 points

There were also four women who would be eligible for this. Using the same model as the men these would have been the “Triple Crown” results that year:

1. Tia-Clair Toomey – 3 points (perfect)
2. Sara Sigmundsdottir – 6 points (but like Vellner would drop the Games)
3. Kristin Holte- 11 points
4. Kari Pearce – 13 points

2020 (Incomplete Data)

2020	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2021)
Mat Fraser	1	–	N/A	N/A
Samuel Kwant	2	–	N/A	N/A
Justin Medeiros	3	–	N/A	N/A
Noah Ohlsen	4	3	N/A	N/A
Jeffrey Adler	5	–	N/A	N/A
Chandler Smith	6	4	N/A	N/A
Jonne Koski	7	12	N/A	N/A
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	8	2	N/A	N/A
Patrick Vellner	9	1	N/A	N/A
Samuel Cournoyer	10	–	N/A	N/A
Bayden Brown	11	–	N/A	N/A
Jacob Heppner	12	8	N/A	N/A
Roman Khrennikov	13	–	N/A	N/A
Tim Paulson	14	–	N/A	N/A
Brent Fikowski	15	–	N/A	N/A
Alexandre Caron	16	7	N/A	N/A
Scott Tetlow	17	–	N/A	N/A
Jay Crouch	18	–	N/A	N/A
Travis Mayer	19	–	N/A	N/A
Cole Sager	20	11	N/A	N/A

2020	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2021)
Tia-Clair Toomey	1	1	N/A	N/A
Katrin Davidsdottir	2	13	N/A	N/A
Kari Pearce	3	–	N/A	N/A
Haley Adams	4	8	N/A	N/A
Brooke Wells	5	10	N/A	N/A
Kristin Holte	6	9	N/A	N/A
Amanda Barnhart	7	7	N/A	N/A
Kara Saunders	8	3	N/A	N/A
Kristi Eramo O’Connell	9	11	N/A	N/A
Andrea Nisler	10	–	N/A	N/A
Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault	11	–	N/A	N/A
Jamie Simmonds (Greene)	12	–	N/A	N/A
Dani Speegle	13	–	N/A	N/A
Karin Freyova	14	–	N/A	N/A
Danielle Brandon	15	15	N/A	N/A
Kristine Best	16	–	N/A	N/A
Melina Rodriguez	17	–	N/A	N/A
Gabriela Migala	18	–	N/A	N/A
Emma McQuaid	19	–	N/A	N/A
Bethany Shadburne	20	–	N/A	N/A

Conclusion: Neither Dubai nor Wodapalooza happened this season, so we’re left with only two possible data points. Using them, we have eight men and nine women eligible, the top three for each would have been: 

Men Top-Three:

1. Noah Ohlsen – 7 points
2. Chandler Smith- 10 points (wins tiebreaker with better finish at the Games)
3. Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson – 10 points 

*Pat Vellner also had 10 points, but loses to both Smith and Gudmundsson based on Games finish.

Women Top-Three:

1. Tia-Clair Toomey – 2 points (perfect)
2. Kara Saunders – 11 points
3. Haley Adams – 12 points

2021 

2021	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2022)
Justin Medeiros	1	1	–	–
Patrick Vellner	2	2	–	1
Brent Fikowski	3	–	–	–
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	4	4	–	–
Saxon Panchik	5	10	–	8
Jonne Koski	6	–	–	–
Guilherme Malheiros	7	5	–	–
Alex Vigneault	8	16	–	16
Lazar Dukic	9	12	2	–
Noah Ohlsen	10	–	–	–
Scott Panchik	11	–	–	9
Travis Mayer	12	6	–	–
Jeffrey Adler	13	3	4	–
Cole Sager	14	11	–	4
Andre Houdet	15	30	13	–
Royce Dunne	16	–	–	–
Bayden Brown	17	–	–	–
Henrik Haapalainen	18	17	6	–
Jayson Hopper	19	7	–	11
Will Moorad	20	14	–	–

2021	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2022)
Tia-Clair Toomey	1	1	–	–
Laura Horvath	2	4	1	–
Annie Thorisdottir	3	3	–	–
Kristin Holte	4	6	2	–
Haley Adams	5	5	–	–
Gabriela Migala	6	3	3	–
Mallory O’Brien	7	8	–	–
Kristi Eramo O’Connell	8	14	–	–
Amanda Barnhart	9	10	–	–
Katrin Davidsdottir	10	15	–	–
Danielle Brandon	11	11	–	–
Emma McQuaid	12	9	–	1
Thuri Helgadottir	13	17	–	–
Arielle Loewen	14	13	–	3
Emily Rolfe	15	16	8	9
Emma Cary	16	12	–	–
Jacqueline Dahlstrom	17	20	5	–
Baylee Rayl	18	–	–	–
Emma Tall	19	–	–	7
Brooke Wells	20	–	–	–

Conclusion: In the best data set we have yet, nine men and seven women would be eligible. Rolfe is the only one of those 16 who did all four, and will therefore drop her worst performance. Note that it’s basically an even split between athletes who have Dubai compared to Wodapalooza as their third competition, which is why we need to include that event (quite frankly it’s obvious it should be included) in our evaluations. 

Men’s Top-Three: 

1. Pat Vellner – 5 points
2. Jeffrey Adler – 20 points
3. Saxon Panchik – 23 points *

*Lazar Dukic also had 23 but would have lost to Saxon on the Games placement tiebreaker.

Women’s Top-Three: 

1. Laura Horvath – 12 points
2. Kristin Holte – 12 points (wins tiebreaker based on better Games finish)
3. Gabriela Migala – 12 points

2022 

2022	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2023)
Justin Medeiros	1	1	–	–
Roman Khrennikov	2	5	–	2
Ricky Garard	3	10	–	1
Samuel Kwant	4	8	–	–
Jeffrey Adler	5	3	–	–
Patrick Vellner	6	4	–	3
Jayson Hopper	7	7	–
Lazar Dukic	8	20	12
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	9	6	–
Guilherme Malheiros	10	–	–	11
Saxon Panchik	11	16	–
Noah Ohlsen	12	9	–
Cole Sager	13	13	–
Nick Mathew	14	12	–	6
Jonne Koski	15	11	4
Brent Fikowski	16	–	3	4
Willy Georges	17	–	–
Travis Mayer	18	–	–
Dallin Pepper	19	–	–	7
Spencer Panchik	20	–	–

2022	CF Games	Rogue	Dubai	WZA (2023)
Tia-Clair Toomey	1	–	–	–
Mallory O’Brien	2	–	–	–
Laura Horvath	3	1	–	–
Danielle Brandon	4	9	–	–
Brooke Wells	5	–	–	–
Emma Lawson	6	3	–	–
Kara Saunders	7	7	–	–
Gabriela Migala	8	5	–	–
Haley Adams	9	–	–	–
Alexis Raptis	10	8	–	–
Arielle Loewen	11	10	–	–
Emma McQuaid	12	13	–	–
Kristi Eramo O’Connell	13	–	–	–
Amanda Barnhart	14	6	–	–
Jacqueline Dahlstrom	15	17	–	–
Lucy Campbell	16	–	–	–
Dani Speegle	17	12	–	2
Ellie Turner	18	4	–	–
Matilde Garnes	19	14	2	–
Karin Freyova	20	–	1	–

Conclusion: Seven men were eligible this year, but only two women competed in at least three of these. 

Men’s Top-Three

1. Roman Khrennikov – 9 points
2. Pat Vellner – 13 points
3. Ricky Garard – 14 points

Women’s Top-Two

1. Dani Speegle – 31 points
2. Matilde Garnes – 35 points

Does the Triple Crown system have merit to it?

The answer is that it certainly could, but as we’ve discussed with other models that have been put out, retroactive application of “new” models is very limiting. For this to work it needs to be known, announced, and incentivized for athletes to want to chase the “Triple Crown” title.