List of Athletes Skipping the 2025 Mayhem Classic

The Mayhem Classic lineup is shifting as four top athletes have withdrawn from the competition. Emma Lawson won’t be chasing her fourth straight CrossFit Games appearance due to an ongoing back injury. The first in-person qualifying event of the 2025 CrossFit Games season will take place at CrossFit Mayhem in Cookeville, Tennessee, on April 5-6.

The competitive lineup has changed. Dallin Pepper, who scored the third-best worldwide in 25.1 with 348 reps, has withdrawn from the event and is likely to sit out 25.3 for the same reason (details TBA). Travis Mayer has also stepped away from the 20-athlete field. Their departures have created opportunities for Nina Vragovic and Victoria Campos to compete for CrossFit Games qualifying spots.

Top Athletes Withdraw from Mayhem Classic

The Mayhem Classic roster looks different now as several top athletes have pulled out of the competition. Medical tests showed Emma Lawson has a bulging disc at L5 pinching the S1 nerve. She hurt her back during deficit deadlift training before TYR Wodapalooza and felt severe weakness in her lower back.

Emma tried to work through the pain quietly as she trained with her teammates Danielle Brandon and Shelby Neal. Her condition got worse at TYR Wodapalooza after she completed five touch-and-go power cleans at 175 pounds. The pain became so intense that she needed medical help, and an MRI revealed the true extent of her injury. The pinched nerve caused pain down her leg and she ended up withdrawing from both the CrossFit Open and the Mayhem Classic. She now focuses on getting better and prepares for the Tour Event 1 of the World Fitness Project that runs from May 9-11 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dallin Pepper also stepped back from the Mayhem Classic because of a minor shoulder issue. His shoulder feels better now, but his main goal remains winning the 2025 CrossFit Games. He plans to skip the Mayhem Classic and qualify through other means, mainly through online Semifinals. The competition’s lineup changed beyond these two withdrawals. Ellie Turner and Travis Mayer also decided not to compete. The women’s division adapted quickly with Nina Vragovic and Victoria Campos receiving invites to fill the empty spots.

How Injuries Shape Athletes’ Strategic Decisions

The spine accounts for 20.9% of all CrossFit-related injuries. The lower back proves especially vulnerable, making up 83.1% of all spine problems. Medical experts point out that most disc injuries get better within predictable timeframes – 90% heal within a month and 95% recover within two months. Athletes who experience back problems usually take time off early in the season. This lets them heal properly without ruining their whole competition year.

Shoulder problems make up 25.8% of all CrossFit injuries – a rate higher than what we see in Olympic weightlifting. The shoulder joint faces extra risk from high-rep movements and exercises that push beyond normal ranges. So athletes often adjust their competition plans based on shoulder health. This becomes crucial since shoulder impingement affects 23.5% of athletes within six-month training blocks.

Long-term Career Effect Analysis

The largest longitudinal study shows that training experience plays a big role in injury patterns. Athletes with more than three years of experience get hurt more often (43.1%) compared to those with 1-3 years (38.8%) or less than one year (18.0%) of experience. Training through acute pain leads to more injuries. CrossFit injuries typically need 2.59 months to heal. This forces athletes to review their competition plans carefully.

Sports medicine experts say that “just rest” rarely helps after injuries. Athletes maintain their fitness through different training methods. They focus on healthy body parts while injured areas heal. Physical therapists tell athletes with ongoing pain to get checked by professionals instead of pushing through discomfort. This helps catch problems early and prevents more complex recovery situations. Research also shows that proper warm-ups, especially with isometric exercises, reduce injury risk by a lot.

Replacement Athletes Seize Opportunities

Recent roster changes at the Mayhem Classic have created chances for athletes who were waiting on the sidelines. These changes show how unpredictable competitive CrossFit can be, and how new opportunities emerge when circumstances shift. Nina Vragovic, a CrossFit Mayhem athlete, earned her place among the 20 competitors after Emma Lawson withdrew. Her selection comes from her steady results at the North America East Semifinal in the last two seasons. Vragovic’s daily training at Mayhem gives her an edge heading into the upcoming competition.

A backfill invitation came through for Victoria Campos, but her path to Games qualification isn’t straightforward. She placed 40th worldwide in 2024, yet her road to the CrossFit Games remains complicated. Campos skipped registering for the 2025 CrossFit Open, which could affect her Games qualification chances even with a strong showing at the Mayhem Classic. Her story began in Santos, Brazil, and it’s been remarkable. Campos built her reputation in Hong Kong’s CrossFit community before making a smart move to Cookeville, Tennessee. She chose to train under Rich Froning at CrossFit Mayhem. This decision paid off when she won first place in the South America Semifinal both in 2023 and 2024.

Strict qualification rules require athletes to finish in the top 1% of the CrossFit Open to keep their Games qualification chances alive, whatever their results at qualifying events. This rule makes things tougher for Campos since she didn’t participate in the Open. These roster shifts highlight how complex CrossFit competition can be. Athletes must excel physically while meeting specific qualification requirements. The Mayhem Classic, set for April 5-6 at CrossFit Mayhem in Cookeville, Tennessee, now gives these athletes a fresh platform to prove themselves.

Competition Dynamics Shift at CrossFit Mayhem

The Mayhem Classic makes its comeback to competitive CrossFit after five years with major changes to how athletes qualify. Rich Froning and his team have created a series of tough tests that combine classic CrossFit movements with new workout formats.

The competition follows the same structure as the Rogue Invitational. Froning leads the programming team to create a detailed test of athletic skills. Athletes get ranked through the Rogue Points System, which looks at their performance over multiple years. Points decrease each year to give more weight to recent results. The first round of invitations went to the top 18 athletes from each division. Two wildcard spots per division rounded out the 40-athlete field. The backfill process brought in athletes ranked as high as 81st in the Rogue system, which shows how deep the talent pool has become.

Qualification Pathways Remain Complex

Athletes can take two routes to qualify for the 2025 CrossFit Games season. They can compete in a virtual in-affiliate Semifinal from May 1-4 or join In-Person Qualifying Events. The Mayhem Classic leads the pack as the first of nine events in 2025, giving athletes chances to qualify in every Competitive Region. The top two male and female athletes from the Mayhem Classic will earn spots at the 2025 CrossFit Games. These athletes must also finish in the top 1% of the 2025 CrossFit Open to keep their Games spot.

The Association of Fitness Judges (AFJ) will handle all judging standards independently. This organization, created in 2023, will manage movement standards, lane judging, and deal with appeals throughout the weekend. Independent oversight helps remove any concerns about bias, especially for athletes not affiliated with Mayhem.

Final Words

Emma Lawson withdrew due to a back injury, and Dallin Pepper chose to focus on Games preparation. These changes created new opportunities for athletes like Nina Vragovic and Victoria Campos. The qualification process remains challenging. Athletes need top performances and must meet specific requirements, including a ranking in the top 1% of the CrossFit Open.