The 2023 CrossFit Africa Semifinal took place on May 19-21, in South Africa, and gathered this continent’s greatest CrossFit athletes. However, only the winners of both the men’s and women’s divisions earned qualification for the 2023 CrossFit Games. Consequently, dozens of elite athletes gave their all in the hopes of securing the exclusive top spot. However, Jason Smith and Michelle Basnett won their respective men’s and women’s divisions and thus qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Jason Smith had no problems in winning the men’s division of the 2023 CrossFit Africa Semifinal. He won two of the events and claimed impressive top-10 finishes in all of the remaining five events. In the end, his point tally came out to 596, while his closest rival, Conrad Winnertz, had 500.
Michelle Basnett, however, had to grind to get her victory. She accumulated an impressive 613 points with three event victories, but still had a few athletes narrowly following her. However, Michelle proved to be the most consistent in the field and rightfully earned her place at the 2023 CrossFit Games.
2023 CrossFit Africa Semifinal Leaderboards
Men
Note: Only the winner of the men’s division qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games.
- Jason Smith — 596 points
- Conrad Winnertz — 500 points
- Ruan Potgieter — 497 points
- Darren Zurnamer — 482 points
- Josh Kernot — 475 points
- Daniel Griesel — 474 points
- James Van Dongen — 466 points
- Justin Holliday — 433 points
- Dutoit Botha — 418 points
- Assem Effat — 413 points
- Ruan Conradie — 366 points
- Matthew Schiff — 350 points
- Damien Botes — 348 points
- Driss Bouchiah — 333 points
- Julian Liebenberg — 333 points
Women
Note: Only the winner of the women’s division qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games.
- Michelle Basnett — 613 points
- Mariska Smit — 596 points
- Gilmari Reyneke — 580 points
- Christina Livaditakis — 570 points
- Tanha Bouffe — 507 points
- Gemma Rader — 497 points
- Emma Holliday — 492 points
- Megan Joy McDermott — 418 points
- Megan Faul — 411 points
- Alicia Stoop — 408 points
- Maxx Klynsmith — 380 points
- Ingy Hossam Eldin — 362 points
- Mary Jamieson — 355 points
- Sofia Bennani — 553 points
- Laura Hume — 345 points
Teams
- CrossFit FBDV Mayhem Africa — 580 points
- Cape CrossFit Wolfpack — 555 points
- CrossFit 10 Star Hybrids — 530 points
- CrossFit Tijger Valley Synergy — 530 points
- CrossFit Juggernaut Unstoppable — 490 points
- Pack Life CrossFit Wanderers — 380 points
- Cape CrossFit Werewolves — 335 points
- Motley Crew CrossFit Red — 330 points
- CrossFit Zulu — 325 points
- CrossFit 111 Relentless — 320 points
Related: 2023 CrossFit North America East Semifinal — Full Results
Individual Division Tests (Workouts) Recap
TEST ONE
For time:
- 3,000-meter Echo Bike
- Hand-Over-Hand Pull (84 feet)
- 2,000-meter Assault AirRunner
- Hand-Over-Hand Pull (84 feet)
- 1,000-meter SkiErg
- Hand-Over-Hand Pull (92 feet)
Time cap: 30 minutes
Women: 180 pounds
Men: 225 pounds
Men’s Results
- Jason Smith — 25:56
- Daniel Griesel — 26:30
- Estian Ferreira — 26:41
Women’s Results
- Gilmari Reyneke — CAP+14
- Alicia Stoop — CAP+14
- Maxx Klynsmith — CAP+14
TEST TWO
As many reps as possible in 3 minutes of:
- 5 Ring Complexes (1 Toe-To-Ring, 1 Muscle-Up, 1 Ring Dip)
- 20 Single-Leg Squats
- Max Burpees Over Box
*Complete 3 rounds, resting 1 minute between rounds.
*Score is total reps across the 3 minutes.
Women Wear a 10-pound ruck, 24-inch box
Men Wear a 20-pound ruck, 30-inch box
Men’s Results
- Ruan Potgieter — 42 reps
- Darren Zurnamer — 38 reps
- Jason Smith — 34 reps
Women’s Results
- Christina Livaditakis — 36 reps
- Michelle Basnett — 28 reps
- Gilmari Reyneke — 28 reps
TEST THREE
For time:
Semifinals Linda — 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps of:
- Deadlifts
- Dumbbell Bench Presses
- Squat Cleans
Time cap: 17 minutes
Women: 220-pound deadlifts, 60-pound dumbbells, 105-pound squat cleans
Men: 295-pound deadlifts, 90-pound dumbbells, 145-pound squat cleans
Men’s Results
- Kealan Henry — 15:15
- Justin Holliday — 16:29
- Ruan Conradie — 16:47
Women’s Results
- Megan Faul — CAP+3
- Gemma Rader — CAP+11
- Christina Livaditakis — CAP+16
TEST FOUR
For load:
- Run 800 meters
- Max Snatch
Time cap: 6 minutes
After the time cap for test four clocked out, the athletes had just two minutes to rest before initiating Test Five.
Men’s Results
- Elsayed Hasona — 278 pounds
- Darren Zurnamer — 269 pounds
- Ruan Potgieter — 269 pounds
Women’s Results
- Michelle Basnett — 179 pounds
- Mariska Smit — 176 pounds
- Christina Livaditakis — 172 pounds
TEST FIVE
For time:
- 8 Snatches
- Run 800 meters
Time cap: 6 minutes
Women: 125-pound snatch
Men: 185-pound snatch
Men’s Results
- Justin Holliday — 3:24
- Dutoit Botha — 3:29
- Matthew Schiff — 3:34
Women’s Results
- Mariska Smit — 3:59
- Gilmari Reyneke — 4:00
- Emma Holliday — 4:21
TEST SIX
For time:
- 20 Overhead Squats
- 500-meter Row
- Three Handstand-Walk Pirouettes
- Two Seated Legless Rope Climbs
- 20 Strict Chest-To-Wall Handstand Push-Ups
- Two Seated Legless Rope Climbs
- Three Handstand-Walk Pirouettes
- 500-meter Row
- 20 Overhead Squats
Time cap: 15 minutes (Men) — 16 minutes (Women)
Women: 125-pound Squat
Men: 185-pound Squat
Men’s Results
- Ruan Potgieter — 11:05
- Darren Zurnamer — 12:54
- Conrad Winnertz — 13:17
Women’s Results
- Michelle Basnett — CAP+3
- Christina Livaditakis — CAP+4
- Mariska Smit — CAP+9
TEST SEVEN
Three rounds for time of:
- Echo Bike Calories (Men: 15 calories / Women: 10 calories)
- 20 Toes-To-Bar
- 60-Foot Sandbag Bear-Hug Carry
Women: 150-pound Sandbag
Men: 200-pound Sandbag
Men’s Results
- Jason Smith — 4:29
- Josh Kernot — 4:34
- Ruan Potgieter — 4:42
Women’s Results
- Michelle Basnett — 5:08
- Gemma Rader — 5:10
- Christina Livaditakis — 5:16
Related: How to Watch the 2023 CrossFit Semifinals
The first week and two of the Semifinal competitions are already done. So, 13 men and 12 women have already qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games. The total number of spots at the Games will be 40 in each division, so the next two weeks will determine the full roster. We still have five more Semifinal competitions set to take place, which will fill out the remaining qualifying spots.