The best and worst events for athletes in 2023 Quarterfinals


The best and worst events for athletes in 2023 Quarterfinals

In the 2023 Quarterfinals there were some new movements to challenge athletes; Chest to Wall Handstand Push Ups, Crossovers and V-Ups. The introduction of Crossovers seemed to receive the most chatter from athletes in regards to not practicing them and even figuring them out the day of competition. We have seen events like The Other Total and the 4RM Front Squat skew finishes in the past, did we see something similar this year thanks to these new movements?


Was there a “bad” event for athletes in 2023? To start, let’s look at the average finishes for the top 50 world wide for the men and the women. When it comes to the best of the best the events are split into two categories, the good events (Events 4 & 5) and the bad events (Events 1, 2 & 3).

For the top 50 women, the average event finishes for the events 1, 2 & 3 range from 85th to 90th indicating there isn’t a single one that impacted the field. Events 4 & 5 they women had an average finish of 59th and 58th respectively also showing that a single event didn’t propel them to the top.

For the top 50 men, very similar results for events 4 & 5 with average finishes of 81st and 82nd. There was more differentiation on the “bad” events with Event 1 standing out as the most challenging for the group with an average finish of 121st.

The next tier: The elite athletes show us they are good at everything, what about the next tier of athletes?

When looking at athletes advancing to Semifinals on a regional level, there is more variance in the best and worst events for athletes. For the women, Event 5 was the best event for advancing athletes in all 7 regions. The other 4 events were all the worst events in at least 1 region, with Event 1 being the lowest average event finish in 4 of the regions. Interestingly, Event 4 was the worst event for advancing women in both Africa and North America East, which is surprising since the average event finish for the Top 50 athletes in Event 4 was almost identical to Event 5.

On the men’s side, Event 5 was the best finish in 6 of the regions, while in South America, their best finish was in Event 2. For the hardest events for the men, the heavy barbell in Event 3 was the biggest challenge as it was the worst event in 3 regions. Event 1 and Event 4 proved the toughest 2 times each.

With the results in full view, it is no surprise that Event 5 was the best event for the Top 50 world wide and for advancing Semi Final athletes, as it is the most mainstream and accessible event out of the group.

For the athletes advancing they have 8 weeks to fill some holes. Based on the programming so far this season, anything is on the table. Adaptability and athleticism will be a difference maker this season, as was on display this past weekend.

Take Care

Dave from Fran Lung

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