Semifinals Wild Cards - Men

Earlier this week we talked about 5 women who will shake up the leaderboard one way or another Semifinals, this time let’s talk about the men.

Alex Vigneault (North America East)

​Alex Vigneault is a 5x CrossFit Games athlete. He finished 25th at the Games in 2022 and 8th in 2021. You wouldn’t think an athlete with back to back Games appearances would be a wild card, until you see Vigneault’s 2023 season so far. He started the year with a 602nd place finish in the CrossFit Open. Then followed it up with a 57th place finish in North America East Quarterfinals, which is a far cry from his 38th place finish in North America Quarterfinals in 2022. As a seasoned veteran of the sport, Vigneault has the ability to turn it on once he hits the competition floor, even if he does start day 1 in the first heat, it’s just a matter of if his fitness is there or not.

Anthony Davis (North America West)

​Anthony Davis has been in the hunt for his first trip to the CrossFit Games as an individual the last two years at the Granite Games. In 2021 he finished 10th, with an event win in the Max Snatch event where he lifted an eye popping 340 lbs. In 2022 he finished 8th, with another event win in the Semifinals Barbell Complex. The difference in 2023, he has trimmed down his size. He still has strength, with a recent snatch of 300 lbs, which will be handy in Event 4, and a leaner Davis could push him up the leaderboard and into the top 10 in North America West

Bronislaw Olenkowicz (Europe)

​Bronislaw Olenkowicz is another athlete that is known more for his big lifts than his overall CrossFit ability. Olenkowicz, who competed at the CrossFit Games in 2019, has recent event wins in the 2022 French Throwdown Snatch + OHS ladder, the 2021 Dubai Lift Off and Semifinals 21.4 from the 2021 Lowlands Throwdown. The guy likes slinging around a heavy barbell. While he brings excitement to the big lift events, his overall competition finishes have been so-so.

In 2023, Olenkowicz began training with Underdogs athletics, which he states has helped his transform into a CrossFit athlete, and his season so far shows that. A career best 11th in European Quarterfinals puts him in prime position to push for a top 10 finish at Semifinals. Will a season with Underdogs be enough to keep him in the top 10 at Semifinals, or will Olenkowicz year end with a win in event 4 and another finish outside of the cutline?

Chandler Smith (North America West)

​Chandler Smith’s entry into our 2023 wild cards is different from the other athletes. He has the talent to compete with the best, which his 2nd place finish at the 2022 Rogue Invitational showed us all, but his season is up in the air after he broke his wrist before Quarterfinals. Battling through pain, he still managed an 11th place finish in North America West Quarterfinals. Judging on Instagram, Smith is a cardio machine. 2 weeks away from the North America West Semifinal, the main question is, will his wrist and body be ready for 3 days of competition?

Peter Ellis (Oceania)

​Peter Ellis, or if you watched any of the Down Under CrossFit Championship last year you may know him as Sneaky Pete, is an athlete to keep an eye on at this year’s Torian Pro. The 21 year old is steadily climbing the CrossFit ranks and his 7th place in Oceania Quarterfinals this year is a career best. Last year, he finished 20th at Torian Pro with no top 10 event finishes, not someone you would expect to compete for a Games ticket this year. At the DUCC however, we saw a much different Ellis. En route to a 3rd place finish he notched 2 event wins in a field that included Jay Crouch and Jake Douglas. Will we see the 2022 Torian Pro Peter Ellis, or 2022 DUCC Sneaky Pete at Semifinals in a couple weeks?

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Take Care

Dave from Fran Lung

PO Box 36068 Lakeview PO, Calgary, Alberta T3E7C6
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