The 2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit took place from October 26-29 at the Dell Diamond Stadium in Round Rock, Texas. Being the second greatest CrossFit competition of the season, it gathered athletes of the highest caliber. So, Rogue also decided to push the athletes to their absolute limits across nine workouts in total. Each workout was special in its own way, but all were extremely difficult. Due to this, it came down to who the most versatile athletes were. Those turned out to be Patrick Vellner and Laura Horvath.
Patrick Vellner’s Performance
The first event of the 2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit did not look too good for Patrick Vellner as he finished in 13th place out of 20. However, he is known for having bad starts, and then coming back from it.
After that was out of the way, Patrick Vellner had an insane streak in the next five events, where he did not place lower than fourth in any of them. So, by the end of the third day, Patrick Vellner had taken the lead by a huge margin.
Going into the final day, Patrick Vellner’s only task was to hold off his rivals. His performances were not like they were during the prior days, but they were enough to secure him the win.
- First Workout: 13th-Place
- Second Workout: 2nd-Place
- Third Workout: 3rd-Place
- Fourth Workout: 4th-Place
- Fifth Workout: 3rd-Place
- Sixth Workout: 3rd-Place
- Seventh Workout: 9th-Place
- Eight Workout: 10th-Place
- Ninth Workout: 10th-Place
This is the second time that Patrick Vellner has won the Rogue Invitational CrossFit, which equals him with Justin Medeiros. Vellner stood on multiple podiums at competitions such as the CrossFit Games and some others, but often came short of gold medals. So, there is no doubt that he deserved to win the title.
Related: Mitchell Hooper Wins The 2023 Rogue Invitational Strongman
Laura Horvath’s Full Performance
Laura Horvath and Tia-Clair Toomey began their battle in the first event of the competition, where they raced against each other with weighted backpacks. Tia-Clair Toomey won the event, but Laura was not far behind in fourth place.
The second day rolled around and the battle continued. Laura Horvath had a nearly perfect day with a 2nd and 1st place finish in the two events that were on the schedule. On the other hand, Tia-Clair Toomey finished 5th and 2nd place in the same events. So, Laura took the lead at the end of day two, but only by five points.
With everything to battle for, Tia-Clair Toomey came ready for the third day. She picked up some massive points across three events, which allowed her to once again claim the top spot. However, at this point, Laura was five points behind.
As expected, the final day brought even more excitement, with both women coming into the last event at the same number of points overall. During the last event, Laura Horvath put on a very fast pace which Tia-Clair Toomey could not follow. So, Laura officially claimed the 2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit title.
- First Workout: 4th-Place
- Second Workout: 2nd-Place
- Third Workout: 1st-Place
- Fourth Workout: 14th-Place
- Fifth Workout: 2nd-Place
- Sixth Workout: 3rd-Place
- Seventh Workout: 1st-Place
- Eight Workout: 5th-Place
- Ninth Workout: 1st-Place
Laura Horvath has now won two Rogue Invitational CrossFit titles in a row. This one was especially impressive since all of the elite athletes took part, including Tia-Clair Toomey. So, Laura is now both the 2023 Fittest Woman on Earth and the Rogue Invitational champion, but there is no doubt that Tia-Clair and her will amp up their rivalry even more next year.
Related: 2023 Rogue Invitational Withdrawals
The 2023 Rogue Invitational CrossFit was one of the most tense and unpredictable editions in the history of its existence. All of the competitors came in great shape and put up a great challenge for both Patrick Vellner and Laura Horvath.
Published: 29 October, 2023 | 4:30 PM EDT
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