Out of all the announcements that have been given during the 2019 CrossFit Open, the announcement for workout 19.5 was the most anticipated and closely watched. That’s because upon the announcement of the workout, the two Fittest Athletes on Earth faced off on a 19.5 challenge.

For the very first time ever, Mat Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey were in Miami for the announcement and competed in a one-time faceoff to see who could finish the workout first. For many fans in the fitness community, this is a dream matchup. The two have been training partners recently so for them this was as much fun as it was a showdown. 

Both Fraser and Toomey are known for their prowess when it comes to barbell work. Fraser has always had the reputation for his success and Toomey has actually won gold at the Commonwealth Games in weightlifting. So the thrusters in this workout made this matchup even more intriguing.

While the start was relatively close, Fraser would eventually pull ahead with a lead of 18 seconds by the time they reached the 15-rep segments. He would go on to win by almost a minute with a time of 6:53. Toomey would finish in 7:48. 

The official winners for this event haven’t been announced yet, but as of this writing, Fraser had the highest score for the men. Toomey’s score currently ranks seventh overall on the women’s side of the field. Videos and scores are still being reviewed before the official winners of 19.5 will be announced.

19.4 Winners

The two reigning Games champions also fared well in 19.4 but neither topped the overall leaderboard. Jonne Koski finished first among men in this workout, completing it in 8:03. Fraser finished second overall with a time of 8:08. Noah Ohlsen rounded out the top three, finishing five seconds behind Fraser. Dakota Rager and Cedric LaPointe finished fourth and fifth respectively.

As for the women’s leaderboard, Anna Fragkou won the workout with a time of 8:32. In second place was Kari Pearce who finished in 8:34. Jamie Greene was one second behind Pearce and took third. Hillary Steele and Kristin Holte round out the top five. Tia-Clair Toomey finished this workout seventh overall. 

The winners of each Open workout this year receive $2,019 for their efforts as well as the bragging rights. They also may be considered when the at-large invites to the Games are awarded, should they not receive invites through the Open or Sanctionals. 

Open Scores & Champions News

You may have seen that there are unofficial scores and leaderboards posted showing who would win the Open, top 20 overall, and national champions. While the these scores are likely to remain as they are, CrossFit has reminded everyone that the official champions and invites will be announced on May 1. Keep this in mind when you’re looking up who is on the top of the leaderboards. Currently Fraser is on the top on the men’s side with Lefteris Theofanidis of Greece in second and Bjorgvin Karl Gudmundsson in third.

As for the ladies, Sara Sigmundsdottir sits atop the rankings overall. Her fellow Icelander Annie Thorisdottir sits in second and Kristin Holte rounds out the top three. The top American on the leaderboard is Dani Speegle in fifth. Tia-Clair Toomey is sixth overall but is the leader among Australian athletes.

Stay tuned to FloElite for updates about the 2019 Open as well as the upcoming Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge, which is taking place April 12-14 in Washington, D.C.