Athletes Highlight Safety Concerns Across Years at CrossFit Games

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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.

In today’s edition:

• Over the past two days, more and more athletes have spoken out about a “pattern of behavior” at the CrossFit Games, citing previous examples from previous years in Madison, Carson, and Aromas. One of the most powerful has been Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association President, Brent Fikowski. More below.

• In our continuing coverage of the 2024 CrossFit Games, today we break down the rookie class and their performances on the competition floor.

• Lazar Ðukić Support Funds have been set up here and here for those who are able to give. If there are other memorial funds or fundraisers in the works, please contact us.

• Support the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“In the coming weeks, a lot of work needs to be done, and I plan to play a leadership role via the PFAA to keep pushing for change in a sport I know can be so much better in every way, even if my love of competing has dimmed.” - Brent Fikowski via Instagram

CROSSFIT GAMES

Games Athlete Brent Fikowski Highlights CrossFit’s Repeated Failure to Prioritize Safety, Says “It’s a Pattern of Behavior”

In the wake of Lazar Đukić’s tragic death last Thursday during the swim portion of Event 1 at the 2024 CrossFit Games, athletes and coaches have begun expressing their anger. 

And while a third-party investigation into the death is ongoing, much of their anger is being directed at CrossFit LLC, the sentiment being that Đukić’s death was the final straw in years of living in a secretive culture that feels more like surviving a war than competing in a professional sport. 

• “This isn’t war; this is sport. And I feel like we have been trying, for some reason, to find the athlete’s breaking point for too long, and we found it,” Pat Vellner said in an interview with the Buttery Bros. 

• “We have been shouting for years about safety concerns, only to be patted on the head and told we’re just being hysterical and complaining. It just feels like it was only a matter of time. We have been pushing athletes in the wrong way,” he also said in the interview.

Similarly, Brent Fikowski, this year’s third-place finisher and president of the Professional Fitness Athletes Association (PFAA), took to Instagram on Tuesday to express his disappointment with CrossFit.

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SPEED READS

PRVN Fitness Helpline: Earlier this week, PRVN Fitness announced on Instagram that it had opened a helpline “for anyone in need of a helping hand or a safe space to talk.” Email here “to speak with a team of mental health professionals on standby to help.”

• The post continued: “Grief will look different for us all, and time will help heal, but today we must be there for each other and make sure no one is alone during this time.”

International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) Working Group: iF3 President Gretchen Kittelberger announced yesterday that the organization is creating a working group to review and edit its current safety standards. It will then revise its event-sanctioning program.

Talking Elite Fitness Discussion with Chris Hinshaw: Sean Woodland, Tommy Marquez, and Lauren Kalil invited Aerobic Capacity expert Chris Hinshaw for a live discussion about the events on Day 1 of the CrossFit Games.

• Among other things, Hinshaw provided details about Jeff Adler’s Garmin data from the lake swim and reminded viewers of events that occurred in Lake Monona in 2017 when Masters athlete Will Powell and eventual five-time Games champion Mat Fraser had scary moments in the water.

ICYMI: Charting the growth of athletes’ Instagram followings during Games Week is usually a lighthearted discussion. However, this year's numbers represent something much more important as community members and athletes grieve, look for answers, and call for action.

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE

2024 CrossFit Games: Rookies in Review

At the 2024 CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, TX, there were 22 individual rookies across the men’s and women’s divisions. Below we take a look at how the 2024 rookie class performed. 

Rookie Women: Analyzing the Stats

Of the 40 women who competed at the CrossFit Games in 2024, 12 were individual Games rookies.

Four female rookies came into the 2024 CrossFit Games with previous Games experience in either the team division or in an age-group division:

• Kyra Milligan competed in a team (CrossFit Mayhem Independence) in 2023. 

• Gemma Rader competed in a team (CrossFit Yas Black) in 2022.

• Andreia Pinheiro finished second in the 40-44 masters division in 2023.

• Lexi Neely competed in the teen 14-15 division in 2018.