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The "height" factor plays an integral role in many sports, but does it matter in CrossFit? Does CrossFit favour taller athletes, or do athletes with only shorter heights benefit from CrossFit?
This is a hotly debated topic as some people claim that Mat Fraser was only a 5-time CrossFit champion due to his "perfect size" at 5'7" (1.7m).
To bust this myth, we did some research of our own, correlating heights and placings of Males who competed the 2022 CrossFit games. We have now updated this article to include athletes competing in the 2023 CrossFit Games.
Average height of Male CrossFit athletes
The average height of male CrossFit athletes is just under 5'10 ” (178cm).
Is it better to be a taller or shorter CrossFit athlete?
Taller athletes are believed to have a greater work capacity when it comes to certain workouts. As an example, tall athletes can exert more force over a longer distance in rowing due to their long limbs.
In contrast, smaller athletes usually have shorter limbs, which reduces their range of motion. This is particularly helpful in workouts where they need to cycle their own body (TTB & C2B pull-ups). Shorter athletes arguably have greater power-to-weight ratios than their taller counterparts when performing gymnastic movements or bodyweight exercises.
So who is better? Below, we have assembled a precise list of the shortest to tallest male CrossFit athletes who competed in the 2022 CrossFit Games and their placings.
Heights & Placings Of Male CrossFit Athletes
There are 40 placings in the CrossFit games. Below, we have identified 10 athletes of varying heights, specifying their 2022 placing in the CrossFit games.
Colten Mertens - 5’4” (32nd place in 2022)
Colten Mertens is an American CrossFit athlete from Iowa who grew up working on a farm. He stands 5'4" (163 cm) which is shorter than the average female games athlete's height. Currently, he weighs 185lb (84kg) and is 24 years old.
Mertens finished 32nd in the CrossFit Games 2022.
Kealan Henry - 5’6” (40th place in 2022)
Kealan Henry, otherwise known as the "Fittest man in Africa", was born in 1993. His passion for rugby led him to pursue a career as a CrossFit athlete after making a name for himself in the water polo, athletics, and soccer fields. However, soon after retiring from rugby, he dedicated himself to coaching CrossFit.
Kealan is 5’6" (168cm) tall and weighs 187lb (85kg). In the 2022 CrossFit Games, Henry placed 40th.
Noah Ohlsen - 5’7” (12th place in 2022)
Noah Ohlsen is considered to be one of the best CrossFit athletes in the world. During his nine consecutive years at the games (having made his debut in 2014), Ohlsen has never ranked lower than 15th. Before joining CrossFit, Noah played lacrosse and water polo. He has also competed in wrestling.
Ohlsen currently weighs about 190lbs (84kg) and is 5’7” (174cm) tall. He placed 12th in the 2022 CrossFit games, but has placed as high as second in previous appearances.
Jake Douglas - 5’8” (Did not compete in 2022)
Jake Douglas is an Australian professional athlete born in 1991 (currently aged 32). In 2023, he will make his first ever appearance at the CrossFit Games. He is renowned for his strength, and "hulk-like" physique.
Interestingly, Jake is the same height as Justin Medeiros at 5'8" (173cm) but weighs in heavier at 202lbs (92kg). We're excited to see what he can do as a rookie in the games this year!
Justin Medeiros - 5’8” (1st place in 2022)
Justin Medeiros is an American professional athlete who was born in 1999 in Lodi, California. Before CrossFit, Justin played American football and competed in wrestling. He initially took up CrossFit to stay in shape for football and wrestling but soon discovered he enjoyed it more, deciding to take it up full-time. This was a great choice, as he has now won the CrossFit games in 2 consecutive years; 2021 and 2022.
He is 5'8" (173cm) tall and weighs around 190lbs (86 kgs). The interesting thing about Justin's height is that he is only 3cm taller than the previous fittest man on earth; Mat Fraser. Rich Froning is also a similar height, at 5’9" (175cm).
Jeffrey Adler - 5’9” (5th place in 2022)
Jeffrey (Jeff) Adler is a Canadian CrossFit Athlete also known as the "King of the North".
Compared to other CrossFit athletes, he is known for his ability in to life extremely heavy, especially squats. His current back squat PR is listed as 475lb (215kg) 🤯.
As of 2022, he weighs around 198lb (90 kg) and has a height of 5’9" (175cm). At the 2022 CrossFit Games, Jeff took 5th place.
Ricky Garard - 5’10” (3rd place in 2022)
Ricky Garard is an Australian CrossFit Games athlete who is infamously known for being banned for four years due to testing positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2017.
Ricky is 5'10" (178cm) tall and weighs approximately 178lb (85kg). He finished 3rd in the 2022 CrossFit games which was the first year back from his suspension.
Patrick Vellner - 5’11” (6th place in 2022)
Pat is a multi-time CrossFit games competitor, born in Canada in 1990. He's had a passion for sports since childhood, and has a strong background in gymnastics. According to him, CrossFit was always an escape for him and something he used to fuel his extreme competitiveness.
In terms of height and weight, he is 5'11" (181cm) tall and weighs around 195lb (89kg). He placed 6th in the 2022 CrossFit games but has placed as high as 2nd in previous years.
Dalin Pepper - 6’0” (19th place in 2022)
Formerly recognised as the fittest teen on earth, Dalin Pepper is a 20-year-old CrossFit athlete from the United States.
In his three junior CrossFit Games campaigns (2017-2019), Pepper won three championships, making him the most successful teenager in the history of the Games. Throughout his childhood, Pepper was an active multi-sport athlete, playing baseball, and soccer for his high school.
Dalin is 6'0" tall (183cm), weighs around 216lb (98kg) and placed 19th in the 2022 CrossFit Games.
Roman Khrennikov - 6'0" (2nd place in 2022)
Roman is a Russian CrossFit athlete who made his first "in person" showing at the CrossFit games in 2022. He has previously been unable to compete at in person events based in America due to visa restrictions (and the subsequent tension between Russia & western countries).
Recently, he was granted a visa which enables him to live in America. He took full advantage of this, placing second in the 2022 CrossFit games.
Roman is 6'0" (183cm) tall and weighs approximately 200-220lb (95-100kg).
Jack Farlow - 6'1" (Did Not Compete in 2022)
Jack is a professional CrossFit athlete from Canada. He is relatively new to the sport however he is making a large impact.
At the ripe age of 21, Jack will make his first appearance at the CrossFit Games in 2023. He is an extremely tall athlete, coming in at 6'1" (185cm) and weighing approximately 210lbs (95kg). He is definitely an athlete to keep an eye on in the coming few years.
Fun fact - Jack currently dates Emma Lawson who came 6th in the CrossFit Games in 2023.
Brent Fikowski - 6’2” (16th place in 2022)
Brent has competed at the CrossFit Games seven times, finishing in the top 3 twice. He was born in Canada and has been nicknamed "The Professor" due to his thoughtful analysis of movements and workouts.
With a height of 6'2" (188cm) and a weight of approximately 220lb (100 kg), he is easily the tallest athlete who competed in the Crossfit Games 2022. He finished in 16th place but has finished as high as 2nd in previous years.
So, does height matter as a CrossFit athlete?
Whilst the last 3 champions (Medeiros, Fraser & Froning) have all hovered around 5'7"-5'9", there's enough evidence to suggest that athletes of any height have the ability to be extremely competitive at the CrossFit games.
Achieving success requires total dedication to the sport, training planning, dietary planning, recovery, rest and even the tiniest details play a major role in this regard. Therefore, we believe that the way that someone trains and applies themselves will be a bigger contributor to success versus height.
So, if you ever feel a bit inspired to give CrossFit a try, don't let your height hold you back. Because when it comes to CrossFit, it is the spirit, dedication, and level of commitment that really counts, regardless of your height!