French Throwdown Athletes And Teams Chasing Games Tickets

The French Throwdown is set to be one of the most intense European Semifinals of the season, with only three men, three women, and three teams earning tickets to the CrossFit Games. For many in this field, Paris is either their clearest path back to the Games or their best shot in person at qualifyng.

On the mens side, established names and rising threats are all in the mix. Jayson Hopper brings the biggest Games resume, while Moritz Fiebig and Calum Clements arrive as proven French Throwdown podium athletes with Games experience. Enrico Zenoni, Toby Buckland, Collin Bosshard, and Harry Lightfoot all sit in that dangerous bubble tier, consistent names in the field who can capitalize on the opporotunity to punch their ticket .

The womens field is just as stacked. Amiee Cringle coming off a win at the WFP in London just a couple weeks ago, Claudia Gluck returns as past French Throwdown podium finisher and Games qualifier, joined by teen champ turned elite standout Lucy McGonigle and 2025 Open winner Mirjam von Rohr. Rebecca Vitesson, and Reese Littlewood round out a deep roster of athletes who have potential to be in the mix.

CrossFit Oslo Kriger is the clear favorite to win the teams division at the French Throwdown and claim one of the three Games tickets on the line. The roster combines elite Games level experience with proven team firepower, captain Kristin Holte to lead a squad that includes Oda Lundekvam, Tola Morakinyo, and Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson, all competing under the CrossFit Oslo Kriger banner and they enter the weekend not just as favorites to qualify, but as legitimate contenders to win the entire event outright.

The individual elites will face six events over the weekend.

Individual Elite Workouts

To follow along on the leaderboard, go to competitioncorner.net at this link: French Throwdown results and you can watch the entire competition on YouTube at this page: French Throwdown live streams.

Cancelling FloElite Before a Deal Is Made

When The Barbell Spin shared a viewer message about FloElite’s past coverage of Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, it reopened long standing frustration with the streaming company’s ethics and business practices. In the Instagram slide, an anoynmous gymnastics coach explains that they had paid FloElite “a good amount of money” over the years for gymnastics content but cancelled after Flo published an article about Maroney’s leaked nude photos, linking directly to images that were taken when she was underage. For that coach, “that crossed a line that would not allow me to support them with my money again.”

The comment section quickly moved from gymnastics to CrossFit, where FloElite has been rebuilding its presence through paywalled coverage of major events. One of the most pointed replies came from Jonathan Ortega, who tagged Games athlete Dallin Pepper and wrote that he was “trying to work a deal with them for the summer,” punctuated with the side eyes emoji. Pepper replied, “I can tell you that just changed,” followed by a laughing emoji, signaling that whatever talks were happening with FloElite may have ended in real time under the weight of the backlash.

The timing of that exchange lands after a separate streaming controversy involving Pepper and his wife, Korrin. During a private semifinal event in Del Mar, California, FloElite held the official broadcast rights behind a weekend long paywall. While FloElite’s stream was live, Korrin went live on YouTube and streamed Dallin’s competition for her own followers, offering a free look at the event while viewers elsewhere were paying for access. On the Boys Interrupted podcast, Dallin later defended the decision, saying the stream began because family members and others could not locate or replay the official broadcast and were texting that they “couldn’t get it pulled up,” and that there had been “zero intentions of live streaming it” before that point.

According to Dallin’s account, Korrin was a few seconds late to the first event and started sharing it once they realized people could not reliably find the FloElite coverage. Viewers responded well to the YouTube stream, so she continued filming throughout the weekend, and Dallin noted there were no posted signs at the venue indicating that personal live streaming was prohibited. In hindsight, that move put the Peppers in the middle of a larger debate about paywalls, accessibility, and what obligations athletes have to event partners and media rights holders in a sport that is still defining its professional standards.

Now, with The Barbell Spin’s Instagram post highlighting a gymnastics coach who has sworn off FloElite altogether, and with Ortega publicly questioning why any athlete would work with the company, the optics around a FloElite partnership have shifted. Pepper’s quick “that just changed” reply in the comments suggests that public sentiment and community history can cancel a deal before signatures ever hit the page.

Athena Perez Instagram Post

An Instagram post published by Athena Perez comments on what readers are speculating as the recent leadership changes at MetFix and uses an unnamed woman to frame her critique. The post does not identify the woman by name, but it was published shortly after MetFix announced that Greg Glassman would be stepping away by co founder Emily Kaplan and that she would take over his ownership stake.

In the caption, Perez questions what effective leadership looks like and challenges the way authority and responsibility are being presented around the MetFix and it's foundation from day one. She suggests that the situation is an example of poor leadership and misaligned priorities, and she invites her audience to reflect on who that might be and why.

The post sparked discussion about whether Emily is frivolously spending Greg’s money and is more focused on furthering her influencer status and cultivating connections with respected political and medical figures. Kaplan says that Glassman has decided to pass the torch to her and turning over his ownership while remaining a supporter who may attend events. However, many are specualting he couldn't get out quick enough and questioning wether MetFix and BSI will sustain without him and his bank account.

North American Athletes Sweep Women's Spots at Copa Sur, Sparking Regional Controversy

North American athletes Anikha Greer and Miley Wade swept both CrossFit Games qualifying spots at the Copa Sur Semifinal in Brazil this past weekend, sparking intense backlash from South American fans who argue the regional competition should prioritize local athletes. The controversy stems from CrossFit's decision to remove the South American citizenship requirement that existed in 2025, allowing North American athletes to compete for the limited Games tickets in Brazil. With only two women's spots available and both going to Americans, South American women were completely shut out of Games qualification from their own regional Semifinal.

The Instagram announcement generated hundreds of critical comments from frustrated fans defending regional representation. User @ramirodramis wrote: "Why do the gringos now go down to the South Copa to steal South American places? When you think CrossFit can't get any worse you keep getting over it," receiving 212 likes. User @dannyta_cm expressed deeper concern about representation, stating: "The South Cup should not have received athletes from other regions, in the case of women we were left without female representatives! Who do we support as Latinos if they come to remove the dues? What about representation and what is crossfit for everyone? It's totally unfair." User @mirnajade added sarcastically: "Nice idea adding Americans to Copa Sur... except now the true American athletes (from Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Guatemala, Cuba, Republica Domenicana, etc.) aren't even making it to the Games. Super democratic lol. That's why Hyrox is gonna destroy you guys in a couple of years," garnering 173 likes.

The debate highlights broader tensions about fairness in CrossFit's qualification system, with many commenters calling for either regional restrictions or increased quota allocations to ensure South American representation at the Games. While some defended the open format by arguing the Games should feature the "fittest on Earth" regardless of geography, the dominant sentiment expressed frustration that a South American Semifinal produced zero female South American qualifiers. Whether this backlash will be enough to sway CrossFit into region locking Semifinals for 2027 remains uncertain. Will they again leave the decision to individual event organizers?