The start of the 2024 CrossFit Open is just six weeks away, but the 2024 UAE Storm Games will give athletes one more opportunity to hit the competition floor. After its inaugural competition last year, the UAE Storm Games are back this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, January 20-21, athletes will compete at the Al Bahar Hotel & Resort in Fujairah, UAE. The competition will host multiple divisions including Teams, Rookies, Masters, Intermediate, RX and Elite.
The women’s Elite division is headlined by 6-time CrossFit Games athlete Jamie Simmonds. She will be joined by several Semifinal/CrossFit Games team athletes including Andrea Solberg, Evie Hollis, Gemma Rader and Veslemøy Kollstad. Last year’s female champion, Sara Sigmundsdottir, will not be competing this year.
For Simmonds, it is the first time back on the competition floor since the 2023 CrossFit Games. Simmonds injured her elbow on a snatch during the Olympic Total event. Diagnosed with a torn UCL, Simmonds underwent surgery right after the Games and has been working to rehab the injury since. With the rehab now behind her, Simmonds looks to use the UAE Storm Games as a final test before the start of the Open.
The men’s Elite division features 2023 CrossFit Games athletes Artur Semenov and Kalyan Souza. Other notable athletes in the field include Luka Djukic, Enrico Zenoni, Alex Kotoulas and Conrad Winnertz. Djukic, last year’s UAE Storm Games champion, will look to defend his title.
The elite division athletes will face six events over the course of the two-day competition. First place will earn AED 30,000 ($8,168 USD). Second place will receive AED 20,000 ($5,445 USD) and third will take home AED 10,000 ($2,723 USD).
The UAE Storm Games live stream can be found on the @GeneJack YouTube page. Both upcoming live streams are embedded below.
As for the leaderboard, that is hosted on Competition Corner and can be found here.
