For most online qualifiers, just qualifying for the main competition is all that matters. But with the Dubai Fitness Championship Online Qualifier, there is real prize money based on where an athlete finishes.
After the three week, five event qualifier, Alex Vigneault and Annie Thorisdottir topped the online qualifier leaderboard. Each athlete will walk away with $9,000 and an invitation to compete in Dubai this December for the top prize of $50,000. Vigneault injured his pec leading up to this year’s CrossFit Regionals while Thorisdottir finished 3rd at the CrossFit Games.
The top 30 who qualified for the Dubai Fitness Championship include numerous CrossFit Games veterans. 13 men and 13 women have competed at the CrossFit Games as individuals. The rest of the field includes CrossFit Regional-level athletes.
All 30 qualifiers will receive prize money for qualifying. In addition, each athlete is guaranteed with earning a minimum of $1,000 by competing in Dubai.
Here is the list of the 2017 Dubai Fitness Championship qualifiers:
| Men | Women |
| Alex Vigneault | Annie Thorisdottir |
| Bartek Lipka | Laura Horvath |
| Bjorgvin Gudmundsson | Kara Webb |
| Lukas Esslinger | Kari Pearce |
| Travis Mayer | Thuri Helgadottir |
| Christian Lucero | Kristin Holte |
| Elliot Simmonds | Jessica Coughlan |
| Milosz Staworzynski | Samantha Briggs |
| Stephanie Cossette | Alessandra Pichelli |
| Bronislaw Olenkowicz | Mirakim Couvrette |
| Eric Carmody | Jen Smith |
| Cody Anderson | Caroline Dardini |
| Ruan Duvenage | Lauren Fisher |
| Phil Hesketh | Harriet Roberts |
| Alexandre Caron | Kristi Eramo |
| Antonio Milocco | Andrea Nisler |
| Alexander Elebro | Eik Gylfadottir |
| Tim Paulson | Rochelle Steinbergs |
| Willy Georges | Emma Rosengren |
| Casper Gammelmark | Emmy Simpkins |
| Craig Kenney | Bjork Odinsdottir |
| Zach Sowder | Chelsey Hughes |
| Joel Munro | Carole Castellani |
| Joey Tortora | Mia Akerlund |
| Ioannis Papadopoulos | Courtney Walker |
| Jason Smith | Gabriela Migala |
| Anthony Vasquez | Carmen Bosmans |
| James Newbury | Camilla Salomonsson Hellman |
| Kyle Zozaya | Karin Freyova |
| Alec Smith | Amanda Franden |
Notable names that did not qualify include Streat Hoerner, Rasmus Anderson, Cassidy Lance-McWherter, Sammy Wood, Emily Abbott, Kelley Jackson and Carleen Mathews.
The online qualifier also had several names disappear from the leaderboard. Natalie Newhart was in the top 30, but was removed from the leaderboard after organizers decided to enforce CrossFit’s two-year suspension.
Frederick Aegidius is also no longer on the men’s leaderboard. Aegidius was near the top 30 cut-off throughout the online qualifier, but as of Tuesday afternoon the CrossFit Games athlete has been removed. There has been no official statement on this matter and Aegidius has not responded to an inquiry by The Barbell Spin.
Aegidius and his girlfriend, Annie Thorisdottir, are in Australia this week as Thorisdottir is competing at the CrossFit Invitational.
