Griffin Roelle created the story of the weekend at the Norwegian CrossFit Championship, coming back from last place after the first workout to win the competition.
The 28-year-old secured his first ever individual invite to the Games in dramatic style, winning the final two events to move himself top of the leaderboard.
Speaking to the Morning Chalk Up after taking the win, the American said: “One thing I was taught as a kid is that no matter how far you’re down and no matter how much you get beat up, you just gotta keep pushing.
“You put everything you have into every workout, every second you have, and just keep pushing. And sometimes it turns out that way. Luckily for me I was in last and somehow came back to first!”
Roelle’s determination ensured he claimed the top prize, while his compatriot Josh Woodhull and Sweden’s Viktor Langsfed took second and third respectively.
In the women’s division, a consistent display from Polish athlete Gabriela Migala, who had been widely tipped to take first place before the competition, proved too strong for the rest of the elite field.
Although she only won one workout throughout the championship, the talented 21-year-old placed in the top 10 at every event.
Migala and runner-up Andrea Solberg had both already qualified, so the Games invite went to third-place finisher Sanna Venalainen from Finland.
British-based team The Athlete Program narrowly missed out on an invite of their own, finishing second after a fierce battle with The Progrm.
The two teams traded blows all weekend, each taking three workout wins.
Going into the final two events, The Athlete Program knew that even with two wins, their competitors could still top the podium if they took second place in each.
But The Progrm, an international team which includes three-time Irish Open winner Jamie Headon, finished strong, winning the final workout to take the Madison invite in style.
