From Nov. 30 to Dec. 3, 2023, many of the best adaptive athletes on the planet competed in Raleigh, NC, in search of becoming a WheelWOD Games champion. CrossFit Games vets like Christina Mazzullo, Alyssa Kobela, Brett Horchar, and Tom Miazga all took home wins, while fellow fan favorite PRVN Fitness and Nike athlete Amy Bream earned herself a silver medal in her division. Adaptive phenoms like Amber Gordon, Emily Lund, and Victor Assafe also rose to victory.
The adaptive athletes that competed in North Carolina qualified all across 2023 through various competitive channels, including Wodapalooza in Florida, the International Online Qualifier, and Black Challenge in Mexico City. They competed in 11 events across four days.
[Read More: 2023 CrossFit Games Adaptive Division Results — Who Is the Fittest on Earth?]
Here’s how the podiums were stacked at the end of the four-day competition.
2023 WheelWOD Results
In an attempt to encompass the diversity of skills and needs of adaptive athletes, WheelWOD played host to 28 divisions, made up of 14 women’s divisions and 14 men’s divisions. (There aren’t currently divisions for nonbinary athletes to participate in.)
These divisions — and their champions — are as follows:
Seated 1: Without Hip Function (Women)
- Andrea Wilson (CrossFit Mayhem)
- Laura Dennison (Invictus Boston)
Wilson also won the 2021 and 2022 WheelWOD Games in her division, and she took first at 2022 Wodapalooza and second at the competition earlier in 2023. She took home first at the 2022 CrossFit Adaptive Semifinal.
Seated 1: Without Hip Function (Men)
- Jedidiah Snelson (CrossFit Fireside)
- Wacey Morrison (Independent)
- Brandon Mantz (CrossFit Watchtower)
Snelson is a nine-time WheelWOD Games athlete, and he took home third in his division at the 2022 CrossFit Semifinal. He won Wodcelona 2023, as well as the WheelWOD Games in 2022.
Seated 2: With Hip Function (Women)
- Amalia Ortuño Lizano (RPC CrossFit Athlete)
- Ann-Marie Willacker (CrossFit Envision Athlete)
Lizano took home gold at Wodcelona in 2023 and 2022 and Wodapalooza in 2022 and 2023. This is her third WheelWOD Games title.
Seated 2: With Hip Function (Men)
- Tom Miazga (Adapt and Conquer CrossFit)
- Michael Egan (The Tribe/3F CrossFit)
- Brett Palser (CrossFit 1904)
Miazga has a storied history of winning the WheelWOD Open, and winning the overall Games is nothing new to him: he won in 2021 and 2022, as well. He’s also won the CrossFit Games in his division six times and is an ’08 Paralympian.
Seated 3: Quadriplegic (Women)
- Anneliese Williams (CrossFit West Lafayette) — Withdrew
Seated 3: Quadriplegic (Men)
- Cameron Whittaker (Independent)
- Eric Baker (CrossFit Morgantown)
- Ricky Bouley (CrossFit Beyond Sport)
Whittaker doesn’t have an extensive CrossFit competition resume, but he does have a very successful one, having come in first place at the Oceania Throwdown. The Australian athlete has played wheelchair rugby with the Queensland Cyclones.
[Listen: Social Power of Adaptive Athletics (with Jedidiah Snelson)]
Upper Impairment: 1 Point of Contact (Women)
- Emily Avery (Triple River CrossFit)
- Amy Johnson (CrossFit Bemidji)
- Sabrina Daulaus (CrossFit Nîmes)
Avery claimed her crown fresh off of a victory at the WheelWOD Games Semifinals. She finished first at Wodapalooza 2022. Avery took second at the WheelWOD Games that year before rising to the top in 2023.
Upper Impairment: 1 Point of Contact (Men)
- Victor Hugo Assaf (Neuse River CrossFit)
Assaf moved up to the top after placing fourth in the WheelWOD Games Semifinals and placing second at Wodapalooza 2022. This is his second WheelWOD Games victory (his first was in 2022), and he took second in the competition in 2021.
Upper Impairment: 2 Points of Contact (Women)
- Christina Mazzullo (Tarheel CrossFit)
- Jocelyn Casker (PXM CrossFit)
- Meg McCreight (CrossFit Big House)
Mazzullo was fresh off of a victory at the 2023 CrossFit Games, where she finished second in 2022. She also came in first at the 2023-2024 TYR Wodapalooza Online Challenge & Qualifier.
Upper Impairment: 2 Points of Contact (Men)
- R.J. Tinsley (CrossFit Natural State)
- Artjom Sandakov (Sever CrossFit)
Tinsley ascended to victory after finishing second in the Semifinals and earning fourth in the WheelWOD International Online Qualifier.
Lower Impairment: 1 Point of Contact (Women)
- Lauren Farhat (CrossFit Arvada)
- Amy Bream (Independent)
- Emily Saler (Independent)
Farhat rose to the top of the podium after a series of second-place finishes, from the Semifinals to the Oceania Throwdown. She also placed fifth in her division at the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Lower Impairment: 1 Point of Contact (Men)
- Anthony Gutierrez (CrossFit Rancho Cucamonga)
- Wietsman Roets (CrossFit Uncontained II)
- Ricardo Allgayer (Wolf CT)
Gutierrez is on top of the podium after occupying the second-place spot at the 2022 WheelWOD Games, as well as taking third at both the 2022 Wodcelona and SGV Throwdown.
[Listen: What You Probably Don’t Know About Adaptive Fitness (w/ Alec Zirkenbach)]
Lower Impairment: 2 Points of Contact (Women)
- Sarah Rudder (Catch a Lift CrossFit)
- Sara Arango (CrossFit Gahanna)
- Beth Tannatt (Independent)
Rudder also won the 2021 and 2022 WheelWOD Games. She also took home fourth place at the 2023 TYR Wodapalooza.
Lower Impairment: 2 Points of Contact (Men)
- Craig Harrington (XForce CrossFit)
- Drew Selz (Badger CrossFit)
- John-Edward Heath (12 Labours CrossFit Annapolis)
Harrington’s victory marks the end of a long history of placing third in competitions, including the Oceania Throwdown and Clash of Heroes 2023.
Lower Impairment Minor (Women)
- Bayleigh Hooper (Independent)
The Canadian athlete won her division at the 2023 CrossFit Games and was the top-ranked athlete in the 2023-2024 TYP Wodapalooza Online Challenge & Qualifier.
Lower Impairment Minor (Men)
- Jeremy Gordon (CrossFit Slade)
Gordon also took home first at the Semifinals and the Oceania Throwdown. This was his second time winning the WheelWOD Games (2022), and he’s also been crowned the Wodcelona 2022 champ.
Sensory (Women)
- Sarah Perry (CrossFit Sea Level)
- Kayala Teems (Titusville CrossFit)
Perry was the third-ranked woman in the 2023 CrossFit Games season in the Vision division, and she brought home second place at the Festivus Games in April 2023.
Sensory (Men)
- Tom Du Preez (CrossFit Noosa)
Du Preez won the Oceania Throwdown and came in seventh in the 2022 CrossFit Semifinals.
Short Stature (Women)
- Erin Popovich (CrossFit Hellkite)
Popovich won first in both the WheelWOD Games Semifinals and International Online Qualifier. She also podiumed at Alter Egos (the Beginner & Novice Team Competition).
Short Stature (Men)
- Tim Murray (Newcov CrossFit)
- Mikey Witous (CrossFit 061)
- Blaze Foster (Neuse River CrossFit)
Murray placed first in the Semifinals and Online Qualifier and took home 11th in the Mustache Barbell Bash. He also placed ninth in the Online Challenge & Qualifier for the 2023-2024 TYR Wodapalooza.
[Read More: 2023 CrossFit Games Age Group Division Results]
Neuromuscular: Major (Women)
- Anna Stern (Strange CrossFit)
- Esther Edington (CrossFit Complete)
- Susan Gillson (CrossFit Beyond Sport)
Stern also won the WheelWOD Games in 2022 after a third-place finish in 2021. She took seventh in Wodcelona 2022 and won Wodapalooza in the same year.
Neuromuscular: Major (Men)
- Daniel Schmitt (Independent)
- Russell Allmandinger (Catacombs Fitness Collective)
- Jeff Livington (Panama City CrossFit)
Schmitt took second in the Semifinals and fourth in the International Online Qualifier. He moved up from earning third place in the 2022 WheelWOD Games.
Neuromuscular: Minor (Women)
- Alyssa Kobela (F13 Performance)
- Lauren Sall (CrossFit Lake Effect)
- Allison Hansen (South Tampa CrossFit)
Kobela took fifth at the 2022 CrossFit Games and won the 2023-2024 TYR Wodapalooza Online Challenge & Qualifier. She also won the WheelWOD International Online Qualifier and the 2023 TYR Wodapalooza.
Neuromuscular: Minor (Men)
- Joshuah Robinson (Backcountry CrossFit)
- Bryan Nuno (CrossFit Reaching Greatness)
Robinson rose to the top of the platform after taking second in the WheelWOD Games Semifinals. He also ranked fifth in the Wodapalooza Online Challenge & Qualifier.
Standing Diagnosed (Women)
- Amber Gordon (Glass City CrossFit)
Gordon’s victory came on the heels of a first-place finish at the Semifinals and a second-place ranking in the International Online Qualifier. She also took home fourth place at the Fire & Ice Challenge.
Standing Diagnosed (Men)
- Brett Horchar (CrossFit R.A.W.)
- Jeremy Easley (Capital CrossFit Alexandria)
- Andrés Falco (CrossFit Underground)
Horchar is a two-time CrossFit Games champion, but new CrossFit rules made him and others ineligible to compete in the 2023 season. He also ranked first in the 2023 Wodcelona Individual Online Qualifier and the WheelWOD Games Semifinals.
Neuromuscular Moderate (Women)
- Emily Lund (CrossFit Justice)
- Faith Fordham (CrossFit Oxford Originals)
- Patricia Turnmire (Artemis CrossFit)
Lund took home first in both Halloween Madness and the WheelWod Games Semifinals in 2023. She got sixth in the WheelWOD Online Qualifier, only to wind up winning the whole thing.
Neuromuscular Moderate (Men)
- George Simmonds-Gooding (CrossFit Earlsfield)
- Brad Tomlinson (Magnus Functional Fitness)
- Austin Roth (CrossFit Invictus)
Simmonds-Gooding also ranked seventh in the 2023-2024 TYR Wodapalooza Online Challenge & Qualifier.
2024 WheelWOD Games
In the upcoming 2024 season, adaptive athletes will no longer compete at the CrossFit Games. Instead, CrossFit will separate its adaptive and age group athletes from mainstream competition.
Now, WheelWOD will be in charge of the entire adaptive CrossFit season, with the 2024 WheelWOD Games taking the place of the CrossFit Games for adaptive athletes. BarBend will continue to keep readers up to date when additional information about the structure of the 2024 adaptive CrossFit season is released.
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