Week 1 of the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza Online Challenge and Qualifier just wrapped up last night and a look at the leaderboard might leave you wondering why the top Games athletes aren’t competing. The answer is simple – many will receive an automatic invite, but who gets those invites is a little more complex.
So, let’s dig in and figure out who gets an automatic invite to compete in the elite individual division. TYR Wodapalooza gives invites to athletes based on their performance at the CrossFit Games and for those who have done well at Wodapalooza in previous years.
CrossFit Games
- All 2023 Individual Elite Athletes
- Top 3 Elite Individual podium – 2021
- 1st Place Elite Individuals – 2013-2020
- 2022 Top 10 Elite Individuals
So every individual athlete from this past year’s CrossFit Games has received an invite, along with 2022’s top 10, the winners from 2013-2020 and the podium from 2021. While last year’s Games covers most athletes still competing, technically Mat Fraser, Rich Froning, Ben Smith, Sam Briggs and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet could sign up for this year’s TYR Wodapalooza.
Wodapalooza
- 2023 top 3 Elite Individual podium
- 1st Place Elite Individuals – 2019-2022
Last year’s podium featured Ricky Garard and Dani Speegle, both athletes who did not compete at this year’s Games, but will receive an invite to the 2024 TYR Wodapalooza.
As for the Wodapalooza winners from 2019-2022, Pat Vellner (2019-2022), Tia-Clair Toomey (2019-2020) and Emma McQuaid qualify for an automatic invite (2022).
Field Size at 2024 TYR Wodapalooza
With so many automatic invites in addition to the top 20 from the online qualifier, is there a limit to the number of elite individual athletes who can compete? Again, the simple answer is, no.
In speaking with Dylan Malitsky, Vice President of Loud and Live Sports, TYR Wodapalooza will accommodate whatever number of athletes choose to accept their invite to compete in-person this January. Obviously quite a few athletes will elect to compete in the Teams of 3 division or will decline their invite outright (i.e. Fraser, Froning, Leblanc-Bazinet, etc).
At the end of the day, usually somewhere between 35-50 individual athletes will throw down on the Bayfront stage. Last year 37 men and 38 women started the elite individual division.
Online Qualifier
As for the online qualifier, the leaderboard now reflects the first three workouts from Week 1. The scores are not yet validated via video review and Week 2 workouts will be released on Thursday, September 21.
A look at the leaderboard shows Austin Hatfield and Ro Scott atop the standings. Behind them are quite a few Semifinals athletes and a couple Games veterans (Royce Dunne, Nikita Yundov, Elena Carratala Sanahuja and Rebecca Fuselier) in the top 20.
This year the top 20 from the online qualifier will receive an invite to compete in the elite individual division and the 21st-40th in the qualifier will receive invites to the RX division.
The 2024 TYR Wodapalooza Fitness Festival will be held January 11-14th in Miami, Florida. Founded in 2012 by Guido Trinidad, Wodapalooza has grown into one of the largest competitions in the world with over 3,000 competing last year in the many divisions ranging from individuals, teams, age groups and adaptives with a host of varying skill levels.
