If it’s true that the results of the annual CrossFit Games have been influenced influenced by the results of the proceeding Open, then it looks like the CrossFit community may have a new Games champ in 2015.

 

Every year, since 2012, Rich Froning has won, not only, the Open, but also the Regional level and Games competitions.

 

This year, however, the CrossFit Open welcomed Mat Fraser (2014’s ‘2^nd Fittest Man in the World’) to the first-place spot on the Leaderboard, beating Froning by 13 points (127 to Fronings 140 total points).

 

While the Open is only the beginning of the season, there’s no doubt that Fraser is staking his claim in ‘champion’-worthy territory. The Open was won in 15.5 for Fraser, as he took a first place finish on the rowing-thruster workout with a time of 5:19—a 16-second difference in the ‘Champ’s’ 5:35 minute finish. (Perhaps a last workout of redemption after his ‘loss’ to Froning in Open WOD 15.1 at the Live Open Announcement?).

Video By: CrossFit HQ

Following his solidified overall victory, Fraser humbly said he knows the Open race was not easily won, “It’s not like I walked away with it. We went back and forth each week. He got me on a couple reps or couple pounds here, I got him by a couple reps. And not just with Rich, but with lots of guys, just a constant reminder that there is always guys right there.”

 

The former Olympic weightlifter, Fraser, undoubtedly has been training for this sport, long before he knew what CrossFit was—in fact, he was on the road to the 2016 Olympics to compete in Weightlifting before breaking his L5 vertebrae about five years ago, shattering his Team USA dreams. Two plates, six screws in his back, and five years of CrossFit training under his belt, however, have made him stronger than ever—both physically and mentally—to fulfill his competition dreams in another way: Winning the CrossFit Games.

 

Can Fraser do it? With Froning verbally committing to ‘going team’ in 2015, it appears that way.

 

The third place finisher in the Open, Ben Smith (2013’s ‘3^rd Fittest Man in the World’) finished a total of 56 points behind Fraser, with his most solid finish in Open WOD 15.3 (1^st place with 630 points, or 3 total rounds + 117 reps for 630 total reps)—showing off his 21+ years of gymnastics training and skill work under his belt. At only 24-years-old, Smith has become quite the staple at the CrossFit Games with six appearances to date, and five first-place finishes in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Last year, he finished 3^rd overall in the Open as well, and with Froning out of the Games’ individual running, Smith is looking towards another podium finish.

 

Jason Khalipa, another notable name, continues to remain on top—however, perhaps not quite his 2^nd place Open finish like last year. His 83^rd place finish on Open WOD 15.1 was not a strong start to the 2015 season, but he made up for it in later weeks with his consistency to stay within the top 50 finishers (worldwide).  Nevertheless, as is the case for most of the top 20 worldwide Open finishers, their eyes are more on the Regional and Games’ stages of competition, Khalipa’s included.

 

The same can be said for Scott Panchik—an athlete who, over the past three years, has consistently solidified two 4^th place finishes (2012 and 2013) and one 5^th place finish (2014) at the CrossFit Games.  Panchik’s 2015 Open performance revealed he is a ‘consistent’ contender amongst the ‘top dogs’ of the sport of fitness.

 

For both Khalipa and Panchik, one may question, if they had particular weaknesses that were exposed?

 

However, the better answer to the Leaderboard’s final standings seems to say that the top 10-20 individuals’ finishes in the Open are merely a reflection of their focus being on a greater prize (i.e. the Games).

 

While the 2015 Open was most certainly touted as more competitive than years’ past (with only the top 20 in each region now advancing to the next level of competition), for your top five leaders, in particular, the Open workouts were simply just a part of their weekly training regime—and, in the sport of the unknown and unknowable, 2015 could still be anyone’s game—particularly with an open podium (no Froning included).  

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