Event 11 placed the spotlight on one of CrossFit’s most demanding gymnastic skills, requiring athletes to race through a technical handstand walk course where balance, body control, and precision were just as important as speed.

Event 11: Handstand Sprint

For time:

Handstand walk course

Women

Paige Rodgers delivered a dominant performance, completing the course in 1:56.58, more than six seconds faster than runner-up Elisa Fuliano (2:03.55). After the top two, the gap widened significantly, with Lydia Fish finishing third in 2:36.49, over 32 seconds behind Fuliano and almost 40 seconds behind Rodgers.

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The event also highlighted several athletes with exceptional gymnastics ability. Alexis Raptis and Anikha Greer, who were sitting outside the overall top 15 after Event 10, finished fourth and fifth respectively, producing two of the best handstand performances in the field. Meanwhile, overall contenders Emma Lawson (6th), Alex Gazan (7th), and overall leader Aimee Cringle (8th) all finished inside the top 10, minimizing the number of points lost to Rodgers.

Abigail Domit backed up her victory in the 3D Throw with another top-10 finish in ninth, while Kyra Milligan rounded out the top 10. The results demonstrated how a highly technical gymnastics event could dramatically reshuffle the event standings, while the overall title contenders largely succeeded in limiting the damage.

The Men

Victor Hoffer produced a spectacular performance, completing the course in just 1:05.62 to win the event by 24.64 seconds over Guilherme Malheiros (1:30.26), a huge margin at the CrossFit Games.

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Ben Fowler also showcased exceptional gymnastics ability to claim third in 1:50.18. The battle behind the podium then became incredibly tight. Henrik Haapalainen finished fourth in 2:03.19, while Jay Crouch (2:05.48), Justin Medeiros (2:05.49), and Colten Mertens (2:05.66) were separated by just 0.18 seconds, highlighting how even the smallest technical error could cost multiple places.

Overall contenders largely limited the damage, with Crouch, Medeiros, Ricky Garard, and Colten Mertens all finishing inside the top eight to protect their positions in the overall standings. Hoffer’s dominant victory provided a major boost after a mixed start to the Games, while Malheiros continued his strong weekend by following up his victory in the 3D Throw with a runner-up finish. The event once again demonstrated that high-level gymnastics ability can dramatically reshape an event leaderboard, even among the fittest athletes in the world.