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- 🤸♀️⚡ The "Tiny Machine" Delivered at the 2026 CrossFit Games
🤸♀️⚡ The "Tiny Machine" Delivered at the 2026 CrossFit Games
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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up.
In today’s edition:
🇮🇹 History made — Elisa Fuliano etched her name in CrossFit Games history with a career-best finish.
👟 Reebok signs on for XENOM London.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Every single day is dedicated to becoming a better athlete…with the hope that all the work will lead to even greater achievements in the future.”
PROFILE
Elisa Fuliano Makes Italian CrossFit History with 9th-Place Finish in San Jose
Credit: Scott Freymond
At the 2026 CrossFit Games, Elisa Fuliano rewrote the record books for Italian CrossFit.
Competing in San Jose, California, on her fourth trip to the sport's biggest stage, she finished 9th in the world, the highest placement ever achieved by an Italian woman at the Games. It's a massive leap from her previous finishes and caps a journey that included a year away from the Games.
From Doubt to Top 10
Fuliano's road to the SAP Center just weeks ago wasn't a straight line. After a devastating 2024 Games experience, she declined her 2025 qualification – a deliberate step back from the sport.
"I experienced some of the worst feelings in my entire life at the Games in 2024," Fuliano told the Morning Chalk Up. "But I also experienced some of the most amazing moments there in 2022 and 2023, memories that are very precious and that will stay with me forever. So I decided I wanted to create more of those memories, hoping that some lessons had been learned from 2024."
While preparing for the Games, Fuliano faced setbacks that altered her training.
She'd spent nearly a year managing patellar tendon issues that limited how much she could squat, and the weeks before the Games brought personal challenges that left her worried about how she'd perform. But something clicked the moment competition began.
"Honestly, I was so surprised to realize that on Wednesday, as soon as the warm-up for the first event started, everything disappeared. I found myself 100% focused on the competition and nothing else,” Fuliano said.
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SPEED READS
🧐🏋️ Setting the Record Straight on CrossFit: In Part 1 of a new Essentials series, CrossFit takes aim at some of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding its methodology, separating what CrossFit actually teaches from the criticisms and assumptions that have followed the brand for years — and making the case for judging the program by its principles, evidence, and real-world results.
🥗🏃 MyFitnessPal Makes a Move Into HYROX: The nutrition-tracking giant has signed on as the title partner of HYROX Tampa, bringing another major health and wellness brand into the rapidly expanding fitness racing ecosystem — and further underscoring HYROX’s growing appeal to brands looking to reach performance-minded consumers.
📅🔥 The Countdown Is On: CrossFit has announced the dates for the 2027 Open, giving athletes their target as the road to next season officially begins.
ICYMI: Five Cool Health and Performance Tech Innovations That Caught Our Attention (Rx article)
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
XENOM Adds Reebok as Major Partner for London
Credit: XENOM
On Tuesday, XENOM, The Decathlon of Fitness™, announced that Reebok is the Official Apparel and Footwear Partner for its second event, XENOM London at Olympia London on August 28-29.
All judges and volunteers will receive a pair of Reebok Nano training shoes, and competitors will receive a co-branded Reebok technical T-shirt.
“As XENOM continues to redefine competitive fitness, partnership with a brand that shares our commitment to innovation and performance is a natural fit,” XENOM founder Keith Barlow said.
HIGHLIGHTS
Celebrating a PR, hosting a fundraiser, this, that, or otherwise? Send us a tip.
🏋️Two years off CrossFit, but James Newbury still has it - watch him build to a 100-kilo/220-pound snatch.
Check out this Grid League movement from Alec Smith — toe over bar into a bar muscle-up. Give it a try and tag us!
😮When in doubt, add more weight! Great job, Eris, on this 217-pound/98-kilo snatch.
Chandler Smith is rounding out his WFP prep with some touch-and-go 245-pound/111-kilo snatches.
🇨🇴Fitland Fitness Festival is raising money to help cover costs for those impacted by the recent earthquake in Cali, Colombia, and outlying areas. Find the link to donate here.