The 2021 CrossFit Open kicked off on March 11, 2021, with athletes worldwide completing the first workout from their homes or local gyms for online submission. Unlike previous years where the Open lasted for five weeks, the 2021 Open will only consist of three workouts over three weeks. Top-performing athletes from the Open will compete in the Quarterfinals for a chance to earn a spot in the Semifinals in their region (and potentially Last-Chance qualifiers), where the best of the best will claim entry to the 2021 NOBULL CrossFit Games (more info on that below).
For time:
15-minute time cap.
That's 605 total reps. Each athlete's score will be their final time. If an athlete doesn't finish within the time cap, the total number of reps completed before the time cap.
The wall walk movement is making its debut in the 2021 CrossFit Open. To perform a wall walk, an athlete lays prone with their feet against a wall. The athlete then walks their feet up the wall, walking on their hands towards the wall's base. Once the athlete has reached a handstand position against the wall, they reverse the walk back to the starting position. That's one rep.
As part of the live Open announcement led by Sean Woodland and Derek Forrest, Kristi Eramo O'Connell battled head-to-head in workout 21.1 against the 2020 CrossFit Games bronze medalist Kari Pearce. Check out the full announcement below courtesy of the CrossFit Games YouTube Channel:
[Related: Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr Will Have to Overcome Travel Issues During 2021 CrossFit Season]
Following the Rx'd head-to-head between Eramo O'Connell and Pearce, two local CrossFitters - Rosemary Matossian and Louis Lee - competed in the Foundations version of workout 21.1, which consists of the same rep scheme as the Rx'd workout except with different movements.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
If needed, athletes can modify the bear crawl by placing their hands on an elevated surface and bringing their knees to their chest to simulate the walking motion (almost like a standing mountain climber). Matossian, who is in her 70s, completed 363 reps before reaching the time cap. Lee was able to complete 378 reps before the time cap.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
[Related: The Strongest CrossFit Games Teenagers: Do Big Lifts Translate to Competition Success?]
There are 16 Adaptive divisions this year - eight for the men and eight for the women. Here is the workout for each of the eight categories:
For time:
15-minute time cap.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
For time:
25-lb dumbbell for men/15-lb dumbbell for women
15-minute time cap.
For time:
35-lb dumbbell for men/20-lb dumbbell for women
15-minute time cap.
For time:
15-minute time cap.
It was 31-year-old Kristi Eramo O'Connell and her triathlon background facing off against 31-year-old former competitive gymnast Kari Pearce. The last time Eramo O'Connell competed as an individual at the Games was in 2018 where she ranked ninth overall. On the other hand, Pearce ended the American women's podium drought in 2020 after scoring a first-place finish in the Games' final event Atalanta, which featured pull-ups, handstand push-ups, and pistol squats. She placed third overall behind Katrin Davíðsdóttir and overall winner Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr.
The previous time these two elite CrossFitters went head-to-head was in 2017 during workout 17.2's announcement - Pearce emerged victoriously. History repeated itself in 2021 as she got out to an early lead and never gave it up. Pearce's gymnastics background gave her an edge speed-wise on the wall walks which is what set the two athletes apart.
Unofficial times:
Both athletes had a fast learning curve figuring out the most efficient way to perform wall walks. The highlight of the match was Pearce performing a nearly unbroken set of 210 double-unders.
The name of CrossFit Open workout 21.2 is “Youth vs. Experience.” It will see Samuel Kwant face-off against Justin Medeiros, the second and third-place finishers from the 2020 CrossFit Games, respectively. Workout 21.3, Panchik vs. Panchik, will see eight-time Games athlete Scott Panchik throw down against three-time Games athlete and Panchik's younger brother, Saxon.
The structure of this year's CrossFit season is pretty different compared to year's past. The main difference is that there will be a three-step qualification process, including the Open, the Quarterfinals, the Semifinals, and a Last-Chance Qualifier for athletes who finished within three spots of a Games qualifying position.
This year's qualification system is a three-phase, continent-based system that includes the Open, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and a Last-Chance Qualifier. CrossFit will recognize North America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, South America, Africa. The top 10% of athletes (25% of teams and 10% worldwide for age-group competitors) during the Open will move on to the Quarterfinals.
During the Quarterfinals, the top men, women, and teams from each continent must submit videos for review. However, the number of submissions changes depending on the continent.
There will be 10 total live Semifinal events - four North America events, two in Europe, and one each in Asia, South America, Africa, and Oceania. Athletes who finished within three spots of a Games qualifying position will compete in the Last-Chance Qualifier. (The number of athletes who will qualify for the Semifinals is as follows:
Ultimately, 38 men, 38 women, and 38 teams will qualify for the Games via the Semifinal events. Two additional men and two additional women will qualify via the Last-Chance Qualifier.
Feature image: @crossfitgames on Instagram
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