The highest paid athletes at the 2022 CrossFit Games

by Joaquín Meroño

The second season of the new NOBULL CrossFit Games payout structure, not much has changed from the previous year, as the top earners from the men's and women's divisions, as in previous years, was the athlete who finished as "Fittest " .

We have compiled the final payout list for the 2022 season. This list takes into account the prize money awarded for the Games, the Open, the Semi-Finals, and the win bonuses for each event won, both the Games and the Open.

This season, total pay for individual athletes increased after back-to-back seasons of decline. Last season, the total earned by the individual athletes came to $2,323,168 , which was the first year of the new format.

  • This year, the individual prize pool total for the CrossFit Games season was $2,518,132 , an 8.4% increase over the 2021 CrossFit season.
  • The increase can be attributed to CrossFit expanding payments to all individual athletes competing in the Games.
  • $3,072,856: The total prize money won by individual athletes during the 2018-2019 season. To date, that is the highest mark in prize money that has been awarded during a season.
  • The list does not include athlete sponsorship offers which may include monetary compensation, bonuses and sales of NOBULL CrossFit Games athlete jerseys.

Women

  1. Aunt Clair Toomey - $343,022
  2. Mallory O'Brien - $151,044
  3. Laura Horvath - $95,000
  4. Danielle Brandon - $65,000
  5. Brooke Wells: $48,000
  6. Haley Adams - $45,500
  7. Emma Lawson: $43,000
  8. Kara Saunders: $39,000
  9. Gabriela Migala - $36,000
  10. Alexis Raptis - $32,000

Within the numbers of women's payments:

  • For the third year in a row, Toomey surpasses all athletes, male or female, in total earnings during the Games season.
  • Toomey 's $343,022 earned during the season ranks fourth on the all-time season pay list.
  • O'Brien 's total won is the most by an athlete who has not won the Games. The $151,044 ranks 13th on the all-time women's list.
  • Lawson joined O'Brien as the youngest athlete to appear on the top 10 list. She was seventh with $43,000 earned during the season, matching what O'Brien earned last year.

Men

  1. Justin Medeiros - $328,500
  2. Roman Khrennikov - $136,000
  3. Ricky Garard - $94,000
  4. Samuel Kwant - $60,000
  5. Jeffrey Adler: $51,000
  6. Saxon Panchik - $46,000
  7. Patrick Vellner: $44,000
  8. Guilherme Malheiros - $38,000
  9. Jason Hopper - $37,000
  10. Lazar Dukic - $37,000

Within the payout numbers of men:

  • For the second straight season, Medeiros tops the list with the best $328,500 in career earnings, which ranks third on the all-time men's lists.
  • Khrennikov. His $136,000 earned during the CrossFit Games season ranks 15th on all-time money lists and is the third-highest total by an athlete who did not win the Games.
  • Garard was second in $10,000 CrossFit Games bonus earnings.
  • The three main preseason competitions Rogue Invitational, Dubai CrossFit Championship and Wodapalooza paid out a total of $987,729 in the men's category this season compared to $1,260,066 for the CrossFit season .

The prize payouts to everyone who competes in the CrossFit Games was a big step in the right direction for the professionalization of the sport ; however, it is not enough, as athletes outside of the top-10 will continue to struggle to make ends meet at the current salary structure.

Pre-season and off-season competitions have proven useful and the introduction of events such as the CanWest and the Madrid Championship , to name a few, will offer more opportunities for athletes.

The current payment model has seen some growth, but it is far from the answer athletes, sponsors and brands need to continue the growth of the sport. After what looks like a successful season for CrossFit, we hope they can address some of the athlete pay shortfalls and offer more incentives during the upcoming season.