🚨 5 Athletes Poised to Break Through in 2026

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CROSSFIT GAMES

5 Athletes We’re Keeping Our Eyes on Heading into the 2026 Season

With the 2025 CrossFit Games season finished, dedicated fans are already looking forward to 2026 and a new wave of athletes they expect to rise. Some will chase redemption, while others aim for their breakout moment.

Before we enter a slower offseason, we want to highlight five athletes who have one thing in common: They’re on the verge of something big in 2026.

Hannah Black

Hannah Black has been on the rise since 2023, when she qualified for her first Semifinals and finished 16th.

A year later, she shifted to team competition and qualified for the Games with a team that finished eighth overall.

In 2025, Black returned to individual competition, competing nonstop throughout the CrossFit Games season, off-season events, and the World Fitness Project (WFP).

• Black finished 10th overall at the Dubai Fitness Championships last December and seventh with a team at TYR Wodapalooza.

She also competed in three In-Person Qualifying Events. She narrowly missed a CrossFit Games invite by one spot at the Fittest Experience, while finishing 13th at the Mayhem Classic and 12th at the Torian Pro.

• Black told the Morning Chalk Up that 2026 will be the year she’s planning on doing “everything possible thing I can” to qualify for the CrossFit Games.”

Keep reading for four more names to track this offseason, with one eyeing an Age Group Games crown this weekend!

A MESSAGE FROM GYMREAPERS

Purpose Over Everything.

Clad in full Gymreapers uniform, knee sleeves, and belts, 520 athletes are set to compete at the 2025 Age Group CrossFit Games this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

As the official partners of the event, Gymreapers believes that reliable gear matters. Especially when the margin between placing and missing the podium comes down to focus and form.

This partnership is more than performance apparel. It’s a shared ethos: discipline over hype, resilience over shortcuts, and purpose over everything.

For those headed to Columbus, exclusive Gymreapers x CrossFit Games Age Group apparel will be available ONLY onsite at the event, so make sure to stock up while you're there.

For those watching from home, stock up here, and make sure not to sleep on the new As Above So Below Collection.

*This newsletter relies on our sponsors. Please consider supporting them.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

Last week, we asked: If you have 15 extra minutes after the WOD ends, how do you use that time?

• 🙆 Mobility & stretching (37%)

• 🪢 Skill work (e.g., double-unders, handstands) (7.5%)

• 🏋️ Strength accessories (11.8%)

• 🥵 Core work / ab finisher (7.5%)

• 💬 Chat with friends & cool down (30.7%)

• 🏃💨 Head straight for the door (5.5%)

Nothing too surprising here, the top choices were mobility and cooling down/chatting with friends. Best hour of the day!

INDUSTRY

WHOOP CEO Defends Blood Pressure Insights Despite FDA Warning

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently flagged popular fitness wearable WHOOP, warning that its blood pressure software requires regulatory approval as a medical device. 

WHOOP CEO Will Ahmed pushed back against the agency’s warning in a recent interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where he defended the company’s “Blood Pressure Insights” (BPI) feature. 

This feature provides a daily estimate of a person’s blood pressure after performing a cuff calibration on the wrist.

• “There’s a pretty clear line of distinction for a number of physiological metrics. But for some reason, for blood pressure, the FDA says that there can’t be a wellness use case,” Ahmed said during an interview on CNBC. 

Ahmed further clarified that the blood pressure feature is “pretty consistent” with the 21st Century Cures Act, which states that if a product or feature is intended for wellness and not related to diagnosis, cure, or prevention, it doesn’t need to be regulated by the FDA.