Engaged Couple Maddie Sturt and Jay Crouch Win Event 1 “The Hopper” at The 2026 CrossFit Games

In a magical twist of fate, Aussie athletes and engaged couple, Maddie Sturt and Jay Crouch, both earned victory in Event 1 of the 2026 CrossFit Games.

The Hopper was the very first event at the inaugural 2007 CrossFit Games and helped define the competition’s identity. Designed by longtime CrossFit Games director Dave Castro, it used a literal hopper filled with movement names, with exercises drawn at random to determine the workout.

The unpredictable format tested every aspect of an athlete’s fitness and adaptability rather than rewarding specialization. More than just the opening event, the Hopper established the CrossFit Games’ philosophy of broad, general physical preparedness and remains one of the most iconic workouts in the sport’s history.

The 2007 Hopper

Then, 5 rounds:

Women12 minute time cap.

Men, 11 minute time cap.

The Hopper at the 2026 CrossFit Games

Event 1 Recap: 2007 Hopper Returns to Open the 2026 CrossFit Games

The event was designed to recreate the atmosphere from that first competition at The Ranch. There was no music playing during Event 1, just as there wasn’t in 2007. That was entirely intentional.

Interestingly, four of the current female athletes weren’t even born in 2007 when the CrossFit Games began and the Hopper was first created.

Women’s Event

Unlike the men’s field, which featured four former CrossFit Games champions in Justin Medeiros, James Sprague, Jayson Hopper and Jeff Adler, there were no former champions competing in the women’s division. Only two women actually finished the workout back in 2007, highlighting just how much the sport has evolved over the past two decades.

Ellie Turner, who is recently engaged to Justin Medeiros, took the early lead in Heat 1. The athletes moved very quickly through the push jerks, while Mathilde Garnes battled for the lead throughout the opening rounds. The fastest time in the first heat was 8:16. Remarkably, the fastest women’s time in Heat 1 was a full minute faster than the fastest men’s time when the workout appeared at the 2013 CrossFit Games.

Heat 2 featured one of the deepest fields of the morning. Lucy Campbell came out hot from the start. Campbell and Emma Lawson, still only 21 years old, are both athletes who have worn the leader’s jersey multiple times during their CrossFit Games careers.

Danielle Brandon, having earned the most individual CrossFit Games appearances of any woman in the field, looked composed throughout after finishing fourth overall at The CrossFit Games in 2025. Arielle Loewen was also among the fastest on the rower.

Campbell went unbroken on her opening set of pull ups and immediately established herself near the front. Maddie Sturt also looked incredibly fast, while Switzerland’s Mirjam von Rohr, a two time CrossFit Open champion, stayed in contention. Great Britain’s Aimee Cringle also spent much of the workout near the top of the leaderboard, despite slipping away at the end.

Sturt, who competed as the youngest female individual athlete at both the 2016 and 2017 CrossFit Games and finished sixth overall in 2025, surged late to take the event win.

She crossed the finish line in 7:58, earning the first CrossFit Games event victory of her career. Lucy Campbell finished second.

Men’s Event

Heat 1 included Pat Vellner, 2024 champion James Sprague, Nick Mathew, Finnish athlete Henrik Haapalainen, who has been dealing with an Achilles injury, Ty Jenkins, the youngest male athlete in the field at just 20 years old and many other familiar faces.

Sprague led the opening rounds with Australian Jay Crouch close behind. The men faced an 11-minute time cap, but Crouch produced an outstanding final round, sprinting across the finish line in 7:09.

One of the biggest differences in his performance was consistency. Crouch went unbroken on every set of pull ups. Calum Clements and James Sprague also posted excellent times to keep themselves firmly in the mix.

Heat 2 brought together many of the biggest names in the sport. Jeff Adler entered after not being fully healthy during the 2025 CrossFit Games. The heat also included Roman Khrennikov, one of the fastest rowers in the field over the 1 kilometer distance, two time champion Justin Medeiros, Victor Hoffer, Dallin Pepper, Ricky Garard and defending champion Jayson Hopper.

The opening rounds were incredibly close, with little separating the leaders. Ricky Garard was the first athlete to create a noticeable gap. Garard, who received a ban following the 2017 CrossFit Games before returning four years later, has since finished second and third at the CrossFit Games during his career.

As the workout progressed, Colten Mertens continued to look stronger and stronger. Saxon Panchik and Mertens moved into third and fourth behind Garard before the race changed dramatically in the closing stages.

Garard slowed on the pull up bar during the final round, opening the door for Mertens to storm past and take the heat win. Justin Medeiros also overtook Garard before the finish, capping a dramatic conclusion to the opening event of the 2026 CrossFit Games.

Jay Crouch beat the 2007 time by six minutes and took the heat win. Jay Crouch and Maddie Sturt are engaged and due to be married in December.

Scores from the 2007 CrossFit Games

Men

Women

Learn how to watch The 2026 CrossFit Games or find out which athletes are competing.