2024: A Year in Review for CrossFit

Each season, we start with some key questions that we hope to answer in the coming year. Then, once the dust has settled and the calendar has turned over, we look back and take stock of how things turned out (and sometimes chuckle at our naïveté).

1. What happens in the women’s division with Toomey-Orr (and others) returning in 2024?

At this point, we can unequivocally say that Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr is the G.O.A.T., and the year that she took off to expand her family did not change that.

Now, we can’t know what would have happened if the 2024 Games had been held without tragedy and a full roster of the top 40 athletes.

• We saw at the Rogue Invitational in November that the 2023 Games and Rogue champ Laura Horvath can push the seven-time Fittest Woman to her limits, but it’s hard to imagine another outcome other than Tia on top of the podium.

Of the five women who placed in the top 10 in 2022 and did not compete at the 2023 Games, two returned to the top 10, with Toomey-Orr winning and Haley Adams placing fifth.

• Brooke Wells finished one spot out of the top 10, and Mal O’Brien has not yet returned to CrossFit competition.

Kara Saunders captained a team and finally got her CrossFit Games victory alongside fellow Aussie superstars James Newbury, Khan Porter, and Emily De Rooy. She made multiple heartfelt speeches in her post-event interviews.

2. Will the Canadian domination continue in the men’s division?

Jeff Adler did not compete at the 2024 Games after Event 1, so he was not able to defend his title. But he could be starting to separate himself from the pack.

He backed up his elite season in 2023 with a Rogue Invitational championship in 2024 against the top athletes in the sport, minus an injured Roman Khrennikov.

• We have mentioned it multiple times, but it is worth saying again: Since the Dubai Fitness Championship in 2022, he has only placed second, third, or fourth in all nine major competitions he has entered.

Fikowski continued his incredible run of top-four finishes at major events with a third place at the Games and a second at the Rogue Invitational in Scotland.

• We saw at the

Pat Vellner did not have his best season in terms of leaderboard results. A major factor could have been his mid-season move from Western to Eastern Canada. Regardless, the nine-time individual Games athlete still took fourth at the West Coast Classic and fifth at the Games.

3. How will Justin Medeiros respond to the adversity of the 2023 Games?

Justin Medeiros was back on track in 2024 up through the Semifinals. He won the West Coast Classic, edging out Brent Fikowski and eventual Games champ James Sprague.

Heading into the CrossFit Games, Medeiros felt confident that he could make up for his 2023 Games showing and take back his place atop the podium.

• For many of the athletes, Đukić’s death in Event 1 changed everything and set their Games weekend on a different course. There’s no way to know how different the final outcome would have been under normal circumstances. He finished the emotional weekend in 8th place overall.

Medeiros did collect his second event win of his career at the CrossFit Games, burning through the “Clean Ladder” in Event 6.

4. What will this new era look like for the Age Group and Adaptive divisions?

The Masters CrossFit Games by Legends was held in Birmingham, AL, and was viewed widely as a success, with fans there to support the athletes.

Many of the teenage athletes and their families said the shift was a positive one – an opportunity to grow their community and have the sole focus be on the teenage competitors.

The Adaptive CrossFit Games by WheelWOD, held in San Antonio, TX, was met with mixed emotions – with some athletes craving more of a large-scale experience and others empowered to share the end of the season within the adaptive community.

5. Will the affiliation fee increase and new L2 requirements shift dramatically due to the affiliate landscape?

It’s not possible to separate how affiliate owners digested these changes from other variables in 2024.

What we can definitively say is that on CrossFit’s global affiliate map, there are 9,950 affiliates listed. The days of using 15,000 or even 12,000 as a ballpark number of affiliates seem to be gone.

6. Will the CrossFit HQ revolving door at the leadership level smooth out in 2024?

Again, the answer here is tricky, but that may be, in part, due to how we phrased the original question and its caveats.

On one hand, the DeKoons hire appears to have been very good and affiliate owners and affiliate reps seem happy with his work this year.

More CrossFit Stories

To date, the Masters Games have a total of 246k views on YouTube for all four days. The Teen Games have a total of 117k in the three-day event.

Conclusion

Looking back on 2024, we can say that it has been a season of ups and downs for the CrossFit community. While the brand has experienced some growing pains, it appears that the direction it is heading will be shaped by the decisions and actions of those at the highest levels.

FAQs

Q: How did the 2024 women’s division look?
A: Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr dominated, winning the women’s division once again.

Q: What was the impact of the affiliation fee increase and new L2 requirements on the affiliate landscape?
A: It remains to be seen, but early signs suggest a significant shift.

Q: Are the changes to the Age Group and Adaptive divisions a positive development?
A: While opinions vary, many agree that the shifts have been positive for these groups.

Q: What is the current state of the CrossFit HQ revolving door at the leadership level?
A: While still present, there appears to be a sense of stability at the top of the organization.