On the morning of the official Day One of the 2023 Rogue Invitational, the weather cast some doubts on event continuity in Austin, TX. But the Dell Diamond stadium looked clear (if a bit overcast) by the time the best CrossFitters in the world were ready to take the field for Event Two, “Seat at the Bar.” By the end of the event, Ricky Garard and Rogue Invitational rookie Alex Gazan proved victorious.
CrossFitters had already had their share of excitement the night before when Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr blazed back onto the field like she had never left, taking home the Event One win in “Texas Heavy” just a few months after giving birth in May. The GOAT smoked her division, while on the men’s side, the reigning Fittest Man on Earth® Jeff Adler made himself a powerful beginning with an event win.
“Seat at the Bar” promised to be a much faster event (albeit with heavy loads, courtesy of the Invitational’s typical style), and the athletes didn’t disappoint. Garard made quick work of the event, finishing in six minutes and 20 seconds. On the women’s side, Alex Gazan took home her first event win in her Rogue Invitational debut.
[Stay Tuned: 2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit Live Results and Leaderboard]
2023 Rogue Invitational Event Two — “Seat at the Bar”
For time:
20-15-10 reps (Men) | 15-10-5 reps (Women) of:
- Log Muscle-Ups
- Five Back Squats — Men: 375 pounds | Women: 260 pounds
Below are the full results:
Men’s Division
After Jonne Koski injured his ankle in Event One, he withdrew from the competition prior to competing in Event Two.
- Ricky Garard — 6:20.31
- Pat Vellner — 6:47.90
- Bayley Martin — 6:58.49
- Chandler Smith — 6:59.51
- Victor Hoffer — 7:04.43
- Noah Ohlsen — 7:07.15
- Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson — 7:08.24
- Jeffrey Adler — 7:23.34
- Travis Mayer — 7:42.17
- Roman Khrennikov — 7:50.49
- Jay Crouch — 7:59.03
- Will Moorad — 8:38.67
- Lazar Đukić — 8:52.51
- Jelle Hoste — 8:57.36
- Brent Fikowski — CAP+2 (2:48)
- Dallin Pepper — CAP+2 (3:17)
- Garrett Clark — CAP+20 (3:37)
- Tudor Magda — CAP+24 (6:13)
- Jayson Hopper — CAP+25 (5:19)
- Jonne Koski — WD
Women’s Division
- Alex Gazan — 5:19.75
- Laura Horvath — 5:33.80
- Christine Kolenbrander — 5:50.11
- Emma Lawson — 5:56.61
- Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr — 6:17.74
- Kyra Milligan — 6:29.42
- Emma Cary — 7:06.98
- Gabriela Migała — 7:08.78
- Paige Semenza — 7:31.23
- Shelby Neal — 7:34.33
- Lauren Fisher — 7:34.65
- Manon Angonese — 8:05.72
- Elena Carratala Sanahuja — 8:38.32
- Dani Speegle — 8:43.19
- Paige Powers — CAP+1 (3:51)
- Arielle Loewen — CAP+3 (3:15)
- Danielle Brandon — CAP+3 (4:07)
- Karin Freyova — CAP+12 (6:00)
- Emily Rolfe — CAP+23 (6:10)
- Bethany Flores — CAP+30 (–)
[Read More: Age Group and Adaptive Divisions Will No Longer Compete at the CrossFit Games]
2023 Rogue Invitational Event Two — “Seat at the Bar” Recap
It might not have been called “Texas Heavy,” but it sure wasn’t light. Here’s how the athletes tackled a high-skill move combined with heavy back squats.
Men’s Division, Heat One
The men took the field first. 2022 CrossFit Games podium finisher Ricky Garard, making his first appearance back from a 2023 shoulder injury, blazed through his first set of log muscle-ups, seeming to have no problem with the unusually large four-inch diameter of the bar. He was the first to the back squats, followed by Björgvin Karl Gudmundsson and 10-time CrossFit Games veteran Noah Ohlsen.
Garard continued to make quick work of both the back squats and the muscle-ups throughout the first two sets. Though his pace was punishing, his reps seemed steady and sure until the final rep of his final set, when he got called with a no rep. But he made his way back to the rack and completed the last rep with plenty of time to spare. Garard set the time to beat heading into the second and final heat.
Bayley Martin took second, with Victor Hoffer, Ohlsen, and Gudmundsson all coming across the line in close succession.
[Read More: Alex Gazan and Will Moorad Prep For the 2023 Rogue Invitational With the Buttery Bros]
Men’s Division, Heat Two
Chandler Smith took the early lead during the first set of log muscle-ups. Pat Vellner caught up and beat Smith to the squat rack for the first set of 375-pound squats. Both men moved through the squats with no issues, closely followed by Adler.
The three leading men broke their log muscle-ups and unevenly pushed themselves up one arm at a time, a strategy used to cope with the false grip required by the thicker-than-normal bar. Vellner once again got to the squats first, followed by Smith and Adler. All three athletes made steady work of the back squats before heading back to the log for more muscle-ups.
Vellner’s gymnastics background helped him get to his third and final set of back squats as Brent Fikowski was just finishing up his second set. Smith followed him over the finish line, with Adler taking third in the heat. Still, Vellner’s time was not enough to take the whole event, leaving Garard out to the event win overall.
Women’s Division, Heat One
Aside from Emma Lawson, all the athletes in this division took single reps on log muscle-ups during the 2022 Rogue Invitational. This year, the women showed the benefits of their practice, taking on bigger sets of muscle-ups. Shelby Neal, who finished last in Event One, started out on top of Event Two during the opening set of muscle-ups. Christine Kolenbrander, who came in 17th in “Texas Heavy,” was ultimately the first to make it to the back squats.
Bethany Flores, who has been struggling with back injuries for the past two seasons, seemed to consider putting in the minimum work required with the back squats to spare her back while still allowing herself to compete. Ultimately, she blazed through five squats with an admirable performance before giving the appreciative crowd a bow.
Kolenbrander took the opening heat, followed by Kyra Milligan (who had taken 19th in “Texas Heavy”) and Paige Semenza. Neal and Lauren Fisher finished in a foot race, with Neal coming out just ahead to secure fourth in the heat.
Women’s Division, Heat Two
Coming into heat two, all eyes were on Toomey-Orr. She opted to use grips, an unusual choice for athletes in this event, and started out with singles on her muscle-ups. Her pace looked steady, though, even as Lawson came out strong. She was the only woman last year to complete all 40 log muscle-ups. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was first to the barbell, followed by Alex Gazan, Toomey-Orr, and reigning Fittest Woman on Earth® Laura Horvath.
Horvath cycled through her back squats faster than Gazan, so she made up some space between her and Lawson. But Gazan’s consistent pace on the muscle-ups made her first back to the barbell on set two, followed closely by Lawson and Horvath.
Gazan made short work of her final set of muscle-ups and back squats, sprinting to the finish with a smile on her face for her first event win at her first-ever Invitational appearance. Horvath pulled up into second, in both the heat and the overall event. Lawson took third in the heat, followed by Toomey-Orr.
Stay Tuned
You can keep up with the upcoming events throughout the weekend by watching the Rogue Invitational livestream on YouTube. And, of course, keep a close eye on BarBend‘s coverage for up-to-date results and analysis of each and every event, both strongman and CrossFit.
Featured Image: @rogueinvitational on Instagram
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