2025 TYR Wodapalooza Day 2 Recap: Tight Races and Surprise Winners

Pat Vellner. Ricky Garard. Laura Horvath.

Those were the names we all expected to dominate the 2025 TYR Wodapalooza.

Between the two of them, Vellner and Garard own the last five TYR Wodapalooza titles, while Horvath was coming in as the 2023 Fittest Woman on Earth, 2024 Rogue runner-up, and heavy favorite on the women’s side.

But after two days of competition and six events in Miami Beach, FL, none of those athletes found themselves on top of the podium.

• Vellner and Horvath finished second, while Garard ended up fourth overall. James Sprague and Lucy Campbell took the titles.

Here’s the top five in each division:

Men

1. James Sprague – 549 
2. Patrick Vellner – 525 
3. Austin Hatfield – 522 
4. Ricky Garard – 481 
5. Jonne Koski – 468

Women

1. Lucy Campbell — 490
2. Laura Horvath — 485
3. Alexis Raptis — 470
4. Emma Tall — 458
5. Elise Fulliano — 422

Day 2 Recap

Event 4: Worth The Weight

The Women

Both Kyra Milligan and Anikha Greer put up impressive 255-pound lifts in earlier heats, which held up as the top feats of the day.

• In the final heat, Horvath and Dani Speegle, who entered the day in fifth and eighth, respectively, both lifted 250 pounds, good enough for a tie for third place in the event.

Horvath’s third-place finish was enough to catapult her from fifth into the top spot, 11 points ahead of Emma Tall in second and 30 points ahead of Alexis Raptis in third.

For Campbell, the leader after Day 1, the event was a damage control test. She finished 36th, dropping her to fourth overall with two events to go. 

The Men

As expected, “Worth The Weight” was a Gui Malheiros show, as a heavy-lifting event tends to be.

• In Heat 3, Malheiros opened with 370 pounds before hitting 390 and 400 pounds, which was 20 pounds better than the next two best lifters, Austin Hatfield and Jack Farlow. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Morning Chalk Up (@morningchalkup)

Meanwhile, reigning TYR Wodapalooza champion Garard, who entered the day in eighth, did himself a favor by taking a risk and hitting 370 pounds. That was good enough for fourth on the event, helping him move into sixth overall. 

• “I want to win…I’m not here to come second,” Garard said in a post-event interview.

The top two men going into the event, Sprague and Vellner, finished 14th and 10th, respectively, doing enough to keep them in the top two heading into Event 5.

Event 5: Cuban Press

The Women

The fifth of six events was an opportunity for Horvath to solidify her spot at the top of the leaderboard, but it was not to be, as the workout mostly came down to the 40 dumbbell bench press, which slowed her down.

• The same was not true for Campbell. She cruised through the dumbbell bench press and took the heat win.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Morning Chalk Up (@morningchalkup)

But the event win belonged to France’s Claudia Gluck, who finished the event in 8:37 in Heat 2. 

• Fuliano finished third, Speegle fourth, and Tall fifth, while Horvath salvaged a top-10 finish. 

The event turned the leaderboard on its head, putting Tall in the top spot with 404 points, with Horvath close on her heels with 400 points, and Campbell in third, seven points further back.

The Men

Like the women, the fifth event was all about the dumbbell bench press. 

• In the final heat, it was Hatfield who finished them first, but Sprague was close behind. The two were neck-and-neck the rest of the way, but Hatfield was able to take Sprague by 12 seconds.

Vellner, second heading into the event, had another solid performance, good enough for fourth but not enough to chip away at Sprague’s lead.

Hatfield’s win helped keep him in podium position, nine points ahead of Jonne Koski heading into the final event. 

Event 6: Cortadito 2.0

The Women

With only four points separating Tall in first and Horvath in second — and just 22 points separating Tall in first and Raptis in fifth — it really did come down to the final event.

Ultimately, for Hovath, she needed a win and some help. She needed at least one athlete to finish between herself and Tall to make up the four points she needed.

• Horvath came out strong, taking the lead and holding the lead for much of the event, but Campbell poured on the pressure.

And then Horvath hit a snag during the last set of five ring muscle-ups.

• Horvath dropped off the rings, while Campbell held on. Horvath then failed a rep. And then another one, putting the Wodapalooza title in jeopardy.

Once the dust settled and the numbers were tallied, Campbell, who finished second in the final event, had done just enough to pass Horvath [sixth on the event] by five points.

The Men

Heading into the final event, Sprague has a 22-point lead over Vellner and a 30-point lead over Hatfield.

• All three top men performed well, but ultimately nobody could match Hatfield, who went on to take the event win, just ahead of Sprague.

Vellner finished third, keeping the podium status quo.

The Bottom Line

Heading into the 2025 TYR Wodapalooza, all eyes were on Vellner and Garard on the men’s side, and Horvath on the women’s.

But it was Sprague and Campbell who were most impressive in Miami, showing the CrossFit community they should be taken seriously as the 2025 season unfolds.

More CrossFit Stories

• Who Will Win at 2025 TYR Wodapalooza? We Asked a Team of Experts for Their Predictions
• Reps Ahead Pro 6 Showcase: Preview
• A Third Pathway to the 2025 CrossFit Games Leaked: Last-Chance Qualifier

Featured image: Scott Freymond

The post 2025 TYR Wodapalooza Day 2 Recap: Tight Races and Surprise Winners appeared first on BarBend.