Facing heavy rain and a field of fierce competitors over the course of four days, 2023 CrossFit Games winner Laura Horvath and second-Fittest Man on Earth® Patrick Vellner both became two-time Rogue Invitational champions by winning their respective divisions at the 2023 Rogue Invitational. The current Fittest Woman on Earth® earned her place atop the podium for the second straight year with a dynamite performance at Dell Diamond stadium that included three event victories.
Meanwhile, Vellner just edged out reigning Fittest Man on Earth® Jeffrey Adler to take home the Men’s Individual crown for the second time in four years. Despite dealing with adverse conditions, that didn’t stop the athletes from showcasing their strength, speed, and stamina for the fans who weathered the storm in Round Rock, Texas.
Here are the final standings for both divisions at the 2023 Rogue CrossFit Invitational:
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With nine events that tested their strength and conditioning (as well as their mental fortitude), the CrossFit participants at the 2023 Rogue Invitational deserve tremendous credit for enduring a difficult challenge. While the two winners had a couple of hiccups, both Horvath and Vellner accumulated enough points to emerge victorious and secure lucrative paydays.
Here’s an event-by-event breakdown of how each champion performed:
Other than struggling to make it through “10th Inning” at the start of Day Two, Horvath had little trouble completing the other eight events on the schedule. In fact, she secured a top-three finish in six of the nine events, including wins in “The Circus,” “Hulk Hands,” and “The Cleanup.”
Of course, the 2023 CrossFit Games winner needed every point to fend off six-time Fittest Woman on Earth® Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, who showed no rust in her first competition since 2021. Ultimately, though, Horvath outlasted her peer in what proved to be a neck-and-neck battle till the very end.
Although he got off to a slow start, Vellner more than made up for his lackluster showing in “Texas Heavy” by rattling off top-three finishes in four of the next five events. That string of standout performances helped him climb atop the leaderboard and maintain a slim lead over Adler, who ultimately came up 20 points shy of the No. 1 spot.
Vellner, a seven-time CrossFit Games competitor who won the Rogue Invitational in 2020, delivered his best performance in “Seat at the Bar.” The Canadian native took home second in the event by completing the 20-15-10 rep scheme of log muscle ups, followed by five back squats of 375 pounds (170 kilograms) in six minutes and 47 seconds. He also demonstrated excellent strength by tying Tudor Magda for the second-highest deadlift with a 595-pound (270-kilogram) pull on Event No. 6.
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Not only did Horvath and Vellner become multiple-time Rogue Invitational champions over the Oct. 26-29 weekend, but they also became substantially wealthier for their efforts. Finishing ahead of the pack earned them each a record-setting prize purse of $280,304.30. Considering the second-place finishers took home roughly a third of that amount ($97,780.57), it’s safe to say the 2023 Rogue Invitational winners can appreciate all the blood, sweat, and tears they poured into their training to prepare for the four-day showdown at Dell Diamond.
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