The 2024 International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) World Champions have been crowned in Budapest, Hungary.
The idea behind the event came from iF3 President Gretchen Kittelberger, who wanted a way to honor the Olympics in 2024.
- “Thus, the idea of Super Worlds was born,” she said. “Where we could come together in a big, festival-like atmosphere with athletes from all of our divisions, and have this multi-cultural, massive event with an Olympic feel.”
The turnout exceeded her expectations, with more than 800 athletes from more than 30 countries competing in Budapest over three days.
- In the Senior (or Open) Division, Colin Bosshard successfully defended his title from 2023, while Mirjam von Rohr won her first world championship after a third-place finish last year.
There were tight races in many of the 29 divisions, and athletes of all ages put on a show for the sold-out crowd.
Remind me: The iF3, as well as the national federations it supports, like the Hungarian Fitness Federation, which hosted the massive event, is a nonprofit organization.
- In order to standardize the sport, all iF3 competitions include six tests: endurance, strength, body weight, skill, mixed modal, and power.
While this year’s event had many moving parts, it flowed smoothly, accommodating a sold-out crowd, along with hundreds of athletes, coaches, volunteers, and media.
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National Pride Takes Center Stage
Many athletes view making the iF3 championship as their primary goal each year.
- The experience is unique – people represent their country, and it’s about something bigger than themselves.
And while this year’s competition was intense, athletes from multiple continents bonded over their shared experiences. Many traded jerseys and uniforms at the end of the weekend, which has become a tradition in the sport.
An Exciting Final Day
The “Skill Test,” the penultimate event of the competition, consisted of seated legless rope climbs and a variety of handstand walks.
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- While the new sideways handstand walk proved to be a separator for many, it was the rope climbs that caused Colin Bosshard to drop out of the top spot as he struggled to finish his last rep.
Entering the sixth and final “Power Test,” Lenn Postel held a seven-point lead over Bosshard and was primed to come away with the overall win.
- This was the quickest workout of the weekend and featured a test of shuttle runs, heavy deadlifts, and BikeErg calories with a three-minute time cap.
In the end, Bosshard bested Postel by just two seconds, which translated to eight spots on the leaderboard. This gave Bosshard the overall lead by just one point over Tom Kingdon, who leapfrogged Postel with a second-place finish. This was good for 98 points, and Kingdon earned the silver medal.
- “If there’s one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s that it’s never over until it’s over,” Bosshard shared on Instagram.
For the Senior women, von Rohr held the lead after day one and never let up. She won two events and placed in the top three in five of the six total events.
She hit a snatch PR, taking second in the “Strength Test” to Emma Harvang from the U.S.
Her lowest finish, 11th, came in the final test, but she had built a large enough lead to solidify the gold.
- “The best part was having such a large national team and so many amazing people around me who supported me,” von Rohr shared on Instagram.
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In the Team division, Sweden had all five top-five finishes on its way to winning its first world championship. They edged out Norway by 10 points, breaking Norway’s streak of six iF3 championships in a row. Team Germany rounded out the podium.
The Results
Senior (Elite)
Women
- Mirjam von Rohr, Switzerland – 571 points
- Ella Wilkinson, United Kingdom – 546 points
- Nicole Heer, Switzerland – 539 points
Men
- Colin Bosshard, Switzerland – 556 points
- Tom Kingdon, United Kingdom – 555 points
- Lenn Postel, Germany – 551 points
Teams
- Team Sweden – 510 points
- Team Norway – 500 points
- Team Germany – 470 points
Juniors
12 and Under, Boys | Girls
- Wölfinger Ákos, Hungary | Hilla Vaha, Finland
- Laszlo Kovacs, Hungary | Reon T, United Kingdom
- Bálint Horváth, Hungary | Mira Mátyási-Körösi, Hungary
13-14, Boys | Girls
- Mikhail Anisimov, AIN | Nika Timokhina, AIN
- Emanuel Rojas Vargas, Costa Rica, | Isla Hill, United Kingdom
- Steshkov Iaroslav, AIN | Sofiia Fedorova, AIN
15-16, Boys | Girls
- Lewin Tubuna, United Kingdom | Keira McManus, United Kingdom
- Luca Sneekes, Netherlands | Joannie Gagnon, Canada
- Jonathan Wiik, Norway | Ava Rose Male, United Kingdom
17-18, Boys | Girls
- Tuva Bjerkeli, Norway | Ole Bosman, Netherlands
- Karoline Kroken, Norway | Teo Mork, Norway
- Hannah Wendt, United Kingdom | Dennis Olsson, Sweden
19-20, Boys | Girls
- Simon Liedholm, Sweden | Nadia Szymialis, USA
- Romeo Lund, Norway | Malin Amundsen, Norway
- William Kreutz, Sweden | Ninja Koskinen, Finland
Masters
30-34, Men | Women
- Guillo, Puerto Rico | Verena Evelyn Reimers, Germany
- Jonas Zistler, Germany |Emilie Møller-Olsen, Norway
- Dennis Björnström, Sweden | Julia Bayne, Canada
35-39, Men | Women
- Boris Benke, Germany | Verena Horwedel, Germany
- Mariano Pérez Salas, Spain | Stine Aagaard Vangkilde, Denmark
- Viktor Olofsson, Sweden | Cecilie Alværn Wilhelmsen, Norway
40-44, Men | Women
- Johannes Horwedel, Germany Susan Plakke, Netherlands
- Espen Nekkøy, Norway | Melinda Pulai-Tóth, Hungary
- Armin Streibl-Viertl, Austria | Simone Kohls, Germany
45-49, Men | Women
- Richard Vint, United Kingdom | Mariska Meuwissen, Netherlands
- Mikhail Orlov, AIN | Maria Meckbach, Sweden
- Marcus Thorstensson, Norway | Johanna Goransson, Sweden
50-54, Men | Women
- Roman Jantleyev, Kazakhstan | Lisa Lindskog, Sweden
- Johan Sternhoff, Sweden | Marie Coultas, United Kingdom
- Xander Van Der Veeke, Netherlands | Sonia Ashkenazy, Switzerland
55-59, Men | Women
- Marco Wissner, Germany | Emilia Svanbrink, Sweden
- Kirill Karasev, AIN | Ann-Britt Nilsson, Sweden
- Ronnie Young, USA | Irene Haibucher-Meier, Switzerland
60-64, Men | Women
- Morten Sønderskov, Denmark | Catherine Deveze, France
- Michael Beemer, USA | Catarina Holmberg, Sweden
- David Doig, United Kingdom | Gabriele Thumfort, Austria
65+, Men | Women
- Suyeong Eo, South Korea | Angelika Heuer, Germany
- Pierre Lassalle, France | Ragnhild Aas, Norway
- Anders Hahne, Norway | Lena Gerby, Sweden
Worth noting: Sweden won the overall medal count with 14 from 79 athletes. The United Kingdom produced an impressive 10 medals from a total of 36 athletes.
- Matilde Garnes, winner of last year’s world championship, could not compete due to illness. After placing third while sick at the Dubai Fitness Championship the previous weekend, she traveled to Hungary to defend her title. But upon arriving in Budapest, her condition worsened and she had to withdraw.
Other Awards
- Top Nation Award: Switzerland (Four of the six podium finishers in the Senior division.)
- Rookie of the Year: Tom Kingdon, UK
- Most Improved Athlete: Julia Jacobson, Germany
- Sportsmanship Award: Joel Marietti, U.S.
Looking Ahead
In 2025, Lithuania is scheduled to host the World Championship with the Juniors and Seniors, while the Masters will head to Australia.
- The planning of the next “Super Worlds” has begun for the Olympic year 2028, and they will occur every four years.
The Bottom Line
The first iF3 World Championship, held in 2017, featured eight countries and roughly 30 athletes. The number has since risen to the impressive numbers shown at the 2024 Super Worlds.
Although bringing functional fitness to the Olympics may be far off, that underlying goal has sparked other accomplishments, unforeseen benefits, and new goals to achieve.
Kittelberger shared her enthusiasm for the progress in her opening speech.
- “I think this is a turning point in what we’re doing. This massive growth is going to lead to a lot of positive things. Not just for the iF3, but in your countries, and for the sport in general.”
Featured image: Lydia Stadthoewer
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