23.1 CrossFit Open Preview: Horvath vs Migala

The 2023 CrossFit Open kicks off in just over 48 hours. The Open live announcement is from Madrid, Spain, where two big match-ups are slated following the workout reveal. Laura Horvath will square off against Gabriela Migala on the women’s side while Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson will take on Lazar Djukic in the men’s division (preview coming tomorrow morning).

As for Horvath and Migala, these two women have been near the top of the leaderboard at the Games and have their eyes set on the top of the podium in 2023. And with the release of the first Open workout, we will get to watch them throw down on Thursday.

But these two aren’t just competitors, they are friends too. Last month, Horvath and Migala teamed up with Jamie Simmonds at Wodapalooza for the Elite Teams of 3 competition. The trio ended up winning the title over the two-day competition. With that said, once 3,2,1…GO is announced, don’t expect either to take it easy on each other in Madrid.

So let’s take a look at how these two have compared over the years.

CrossFit Open

Both women have competed in the Open since 2016, although Migala was in the 16-17 teen division that first year. Since then, both have competed in the Open every year with each athlete besting the other three times. However, Migala’s Open performance has been stronger overall.

But let’s take a look at the actual Open workouts from the past two years…

Migala held the advantage, 3-1, but it was much closer than the overall finish would imply…especially if you remove 21.2.