CrossFit: Justin Medeiros bypasses a generation of athletes who were waiting on Mat Fraser’s reign to end
- The 22-year-old won the 2021 CrossFit Games in his second year, after coming third behind generational athlete Mat Fraser, who won his fifth title then retired
- Medeiros may have bypassed an entire generation of older competitors – Patrick Vellner, Brent Fikowski, BKG and Noah Ohlsen – who were waiting for their shot
Mat Fraser undoubtedly made a lot of CrossFitters very happy this February when he retired, most notably the likes of Patrick Vellner, Brent Fikowski, Bjorgvin Karl Gudmondsson and Noah Ohlsen. Perennial contenders they were no more, the king was dead, long live the king. All four have made their way on to the podium, and all four had come up against a goliath of the sport who banished all challengers for half a decade.
But wait a hot minute, who is this kid with the mullet, and why are a number of established greybeards now thinking their moment in the sun, which they have been waiting years for, is now setting rather quickly? The last time Fraser won a title, he was in his third decade of life, so in passing the torch, it should have been someone similar in terms of age and experience, right? Someone who had cut their teeth on being disappointed by Fraser, competition after competition, year after year.
Twenty-two-year-old sensation Justin Medeiros, who burst on to the scene last year as a rookie, and came third behind only Samuel Kwant and none other than Fraser, decided to budge in line, and it appears there is little the old guard can do about it. Medeiros said he was “willing to die for points” to win the CrossFit Games this time around, and it was quite clear that mentality paid off for him.
He came no worse that 15th over 15 events, and notched seven finishes in the top five, plus won the final event in a storybook ending, finishing off with some overhead walking lunges into the loving arms of his parents who were in the front row.
CrossFit pundits were banking on Vellner winning it all, given he’s performed the best over the years in big competitions against Fraser, and on his own. He’s no spring chicken though, now in his 30s, and like his Canadian counterpart Fikowski, who is also in his third decade of life, is battling father time as the average age of a peak CrossFit athlete is somewhere around 26 years old.
This is bad news for the likes of Vellner and Fikowski, on the heels of their second and third place performances, respectively, at the 2021 CrossFit Games. Amazing comeback stories in their own right, Fikowski clearly OK with third, but wearing the crown may now be a pipe dream. And the good news is not for them, it is for Medeiros, who is already atop the mountain and still learning how to be a champion. He challenged Fraser last year at the CrossFit ranch in Aromas, California, taking notes, soaking up Fraser’s aura like a sponge.
Fraser’s mentality is simple: you’re either first, or last. A few years ago he started training alongside Tia-Clair Toomey, and now the Australian has just wrapped up her fifth straight title. Toomey, who struggled with confidence, has also morphed into an unstoppable champion, a character trait that was surely refined by hanging out and sweating alongside Fraser.
Legends are known to rub off on people. Haley Adams and Rich Froning is another great example as the 20-year-old came fifth, after coming fourth last year. She falls under the wing of Froning at his compound in Cookeville, Tennessee as the former four-time champion, who has now created a dynasty in the team division with CrossFit Mayhem Freedom, has clearly recognised that Adams has that secret sauce.
Vellner told Morning Chalk Up he will compete again, and he could very well win next year in 2022. Gudmundsson, known as “BKG” to fans, may have a slightly less crammed window to jump through as he is only 28, has been on the podium before and came fourth this year, barely missing out to Fikowski. Or Ohlsen, who came so close in 2019, only to see his shot at redemption slip through his hands with a fifth-place finish last year, and 10th this season.
But there is no denying there is a new kid on the block, and a new champion in CrossFit town. He has an infectious smile, youthful exuberance, and a glorious mullet. He posted to Instagram about spilling strawberry jelly on the leader’s jersey during the games, and has cracked the formula of what it takes to be a winner, and not just a contender.
Once a generation in waiting, the next generation is here, his name is Medeiros, and he has stolen a title many thought was theirs for the taking, and does not look like he is going to give it up any time soon. A new era has begun in earnest for the sport, and as noted, Fraser made a lot of athletes happy, but Medeiros has quickly turned those smiles upside down.
