Which Field is Stronger? Ranking the Competitive Fields with Apollo

Over the last five plus years Barclay Dale has compiled the most comprehensive two year look at the global competitive fitness landscape, Apollo Performance Analytics. With all the changes to the competitive season this year, and all the conversation about where the best athletes are competing, and what the biggest accomplishment of this season would be for them, we decided to check in on his database and let the numbers speak. 

So far this season we have three 30 person competitive fields which have drawn a large percentage of the top athletes attention: WFP Tour Stop 1 in Indianapolis, The CrossFit Games, and WFP Tour Stop 2 in Mesa. Additionally, this season, we know there are several top ranked athletes who have, for the first time since its creation, chosen not to pursue the CrossFit Games. We pulled the top 30 men and women who are not competing at the CrossFit Games this season as well to see how many of the best athletes are missing from what has up to this point always been the clear and unchallenged pinnacle of competitive fitness.

For each of those full fields you will see:

• The raw average rank of the field
• The average rank when the highest and lowest ranked (outlier) athletes are removed
• The number of athletes ranked in the top 10, top 20, and top 30 missing from that group

As we’ve been saying all year, there are more opportunities this season, for more fans, to see more of the best athletes compete against each other. And at the very least, we are expecting two more similarly strong fields at Rogue in November, and the WFP Finals in December… if you’re a fan of watching the best go head to head, there has never been a more fruitful year! 

World Fitness Project Indianapolis Men’s Field

WFP Indy	Apollo Ranking
Jayson Hopper*	1
Roman Khrennikov	2
James Sprague	3
Austin Hatfield	4
Dallin Pepper	5
Ricky Garard	7
Jeffrey Adler	8
Jay Crouch	9
Colten Mertens	10
Patrick Vellner	11
Justin Medeiros	12
Guilherme Malheiros	13
Samuel Kwant	14
Jonne Koski	15
Jelle Hoste	16
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	17
Aniol Ekai	18
Nick Mathew	21
Chris Ibarra	23
Travis Mayer	24
Noah Ohlsen	34
Nate Ackerman	35
Chandler Smith	38
Luka Dukic	40
Fabian Beneito Selles	45
Colin Bosshard	46
Victor Hoffer	49
Tanner Balazs	86
Tola Morakinyo	165
Dani Camacho*	699
Raw Average	49
Drop High/Low*	27.5

Missing From WFP Indy

1 of top 10

3 of top 20

10 of top 30

CrossFit Games 2025 Men’s Field

CrossFit Games 2025	Apollo Ranking
Jayson Hopper*	1
Roman Khrennikov	2
James Sprague	3
Austin Hatfield	4
Dallin Pepper	5
Ricky Garard	7
Jeff Adler	8
Jay Crouch	9
Colten Mertens	10
Justin Medeiros	12
Jonne Koski	15
Jorge Fernandez	20
Nick Mathew	21
Chris Ibarra	23
Harry Lightfoot	25
Mortiz Feibig	26
Jack Rozema	27
Calum Clements	30
Bronislaw Olenkowicz	33
Kalyan Souza	36
Colin Bosshard	46
Tudor Magda	47
Peter Ellis	48
Enrico Zenoni	50
Isaac Newman	62
Ty Jenkins	66
Bill Leahy	81
Henrique Moreira	101
Toby Buckland	104
Tiago Luzes*	109
Raw Average	34.34
Drop High/Low*	32.9

Missing From Games

1 of top 10

8 of top 20

12 of top 30

World Fitness Project Mesa Men’s Field

WFP Mesa	Apollo Ranking
Jayson Hopper*	1
Roman Khrennikov	2
James Sprague	3
Austin Hatfield	4
Dallin Pepper	5
Ricky Garard	7
Jeffrey Adler	8
Jay Crouch	9
Colten Mertens	10
Patrick Vellner	11
Justin Medeiros	12
Guilherme Malheiros	13
Samuel Kwant	14
Jonne Koski	15
Jelle Hoste	16
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	17
Aniol Ekai	18
Nick Mathew	21
Travis Mayer	24
Jack Farlow	28
Noah Ohlsen	34
Nate Ackerman	35
Chandler Smith	38
Luka Dukic	40
Colin Bosshard	46
Tudor Magda	47
Victor Hoffer	49
Ty Jenkins	66
Miko Lilleorg	102
Julius Kieser*	286
Raw Average	32.7
Drop High/Low*	24.8

Top 30 Ranked Men Not at the CrossFit Games

No CFG 25	Apollo Ranking
Brent Fikowski*	6
Pat Vellner	11
Gui Malheiros	13
Sam Kwant	14
Jelle Hoste	16
Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson	17
Aniol Ekai	18
Luke Parker	19
Sam Cournoyer	22
Travis Mayer	24
Jack Farlow	28
Spencer Panchik	29
Henrik Haapalainen	31
Saxon Panchik	32
Noah Ohlsen	34
Nate Ackerman	35
George Sterner	37
Chandler Smith	38
Max Krieg	39
Luka Dukic	40
Bayley Martin	41
Uldis Upenieks	42
John Wood	43
Seth Stovall	44
Fabian Beneito	45
Victor Hoffer	49
Alex Kotoulas	51
Drake Lewis	52
Girogos Karavis	53
Ben Fowler*	54
Raw Average	32.6
Drop High/Low*	32.8

World Fitness Project Indianapolis Women’s Field

WFP Indy	Apollo Ranking
Alex Gazan*	1
Emily Rolfe	3
Alexis Raptis	4
Danielle Brandon	5
Arielle Loewen	9
Laura Horvath	10
Emma Lawson	11
Manon Angonese	12
Brooke Wells	13
Feeroozeh Saghafi	14
Paige Semenza	15
Aimee Cringle	16
Madeline Sturt	18
Lexi Neely	21
Olivia Kerstetter	22
Emma Tall	24
Dani Speegle	25
Andrea Solberg	26
Lydia Fish	27
Bethany Flores	28
Linda Keesman	29
Sydney Wells	31
Anikha Greer	34
Lucy Campbell	37
Oda Lundekvam	40
Sydney Michalyshen	44
Trista Smith	48
Var Thurman-Moe	68
Ella Wilkinson	115
Emily Rethwill*	122
Raw Average	29.1
Drop High/Low*	26.8

Missing From WFP Indy

5 of top 10

7 of top 20

9 of top 30

CrossFit Games 2025 Women’s Field

CFG 25	Apollo Ranking
Tia Clair Toomey*	2
Alexis Raptis	4
Danielle Brandon	5
Abigail Domit	6
Claudia Gluck	8
Arielle Loewen	9
Brooke Wells	13
Feeroozeh Saghafi	14
Aimee Cringle	16
Haley Adams	17
Madeline Sturt	18
Lexi Neely	21
Olivia Kerstetter	22
Lydia Fish	27
Hattie Kanyo	30
Anikha Greer	34
Grace Walton	36
Lucy Campbell	37
Jennifer Muir	42
Lucy McGonigle	43
Sydney Michlyshen	44
Carolyne Prevost	47
Seungyeon Choi	60
Mirjam Von Rohr	72
Siria Meha	76
Emily De Rooy	81
Christina Livaditakis	89
Mariana Meza	96
Luiza Marques	103
Maria Camila Quintero*	241
Raw Average	43.8
Drop High/Low*	38.2

Missing From Games

4 of top 10

9 of top 20

15 of top 30

World Fitness Project Mesa Women’s Field

WFP Mesa	Apollo Ranking
Alex Gazan*	1
Emily Rolfe	3
Alexis Raptis	4
Danielle Brandon	5
Arielle Loewen	9
Laura Horvath	10
Emma Lawson	11
Manon Angonese	12
Brooke Wells	13
Feeroozeh Saghafi	14
Paige Semenza	15
Aimee Cringle	16
Haley Adams	17
Madeline Sturt	18
Kyra Milligan	20
Olivia Kerstetter	22
Emma Tall	24
Dani Speegle	25
Andrea Solberg	26
Linda Keesman	29
Sydney Wells	31
Anikha Greer	34
Lucy Campbell	37
Oda Lundekvam	40
Jennifer Muir	42
Sydney Michalyshen	44
Elena Carratala	59
Var Thurman-Moe	68
Hannah Black	66
Ella Wilkinson*	115
Raw Average	27.7
Drop High/Low*	25.5

Missing From WFP Indy

4 of top 10

5 of top 20

10 of top 30

Top 30 Ranked Women Not at the CrossFit Games

No CFG 25	Apollo Ranking
Alex Gazan*	1
Emily Rolfe	3
Gabriela Migala	7
Laura Horvath	10
Emma Lawson	11
Manon Angonese	12
Paige Semenza	15
Caroline Stanley	19
Kyra Milligan	20
Elisa Fuliano	23
Emma Tall	24
Dani Speegle	25
Andrea Solberg	26
Bethany Flores	28
Linda Keesman	29
Sydney Wells	31
Nina Vragovic	32
Seher Kaya	33
Aline Wirz	35
Karin Freyova	38
Shelby Neal	39
Oda Lundekvam	40
Elizabeth Wishart	41
Georgia Pryer	45
Janie Cheverie	46
Trista Smith	48
Andra Moistus	49
Erica Folo	50
Daisy McDonald	51
Christina Kolenbrander*	52
Raw Average	29.4
Drop High/Low*	29.6

Summary

By any metric used in this study the WFP Mesa fields for both the men and women are slated to be the most competitive fields of 30 we’ve seen yet. 

Dropping the top and bottom athlete, particularly the bottom one, in a few of the fields yielded huge differences in the average rank of the competitors in the field: 

• CrossFit Games Women’s Field: net change -4.5
• WFP Mesa Men’s Field: net change -7
• WFP Indy Men’s Field: net change -21.5

The average world wide ranking of the men competing at the CrossFit Games is noticeably higher than the women (34.3 vs 43.8 without removing the outliers, 32.9 vs 38.2 when the highest and lowest ranked athletes are taken out).

The average ranking of the men competing at the Games and the top 30 ranked men not competing at the Games is almost identical once the outliers are taken out of The Games field (32.9 competing, 32.8 not competing). 

Every men’s and women’s field in this study is missing at least 9 of the top 30 ranked athletes. 

In total 27 of the top 30 (12 men and 15 women) are not competing at the CrossFit Games this year. 

The men’s top 10 is only missing Brent Fikowski from any of the three fields in this study; and he’s. It appears the men don’t care who is running the competitions, they just want to compete against the best, and they are doing it. And it’s awesome for us because this is about as competitive of a top 10 you will ever find. Get ready for some memorable battles.