Last updated on August 1st, 2025
And the “are you kidding me” moment on Day 1 of the 2025 CrossFit Games goes to Lucy Campbell for her performance in Event 3.
ICYMI: Here’s what athletes were up against in Event 3.
4-3-2-1 reps for time of:
- Pegboard
- 1 squat clean + 1 front squat
Women: 145, 165, 185, 205 lbs
Men: 235, 265, 285, 305 lbs
The details: On paper, it seemed like “IE03: Climbing Couplet” would be a damage control event for Campbell. She sat out the 2023 and 2024 seasons due to a wrist injury that doctors believed would be career-ending, and her wrist still doesn’t handle cleans well. But Campbell adapted and used an uncharacteristic technique on the cleans.
- Instead of catching the barbell with both hands, likely to avoid wrist extension, Campbell caught her cleans with one hand, while shooting her other arm straight out and letting the barbell land directly on her torso.
The result: Campbell finished sixth in the event and heads into Day 2 in third place overall, tied in points with Lydia Fish and only six points behind the leader, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr.
- What makes Campbell’s performance even more impressive is that, after months of being unable to even hold a barbell, she only started doing cleans again just prior to TYR Wodapalooza in January.
Campbell told the Morning Chalk Up that heavy cleans had always been a weakness for her, even before her wrist injury.
The big picture: After two wrist surgeries, Campbell made her return to competition this season, shocking everyone, including herself, by winning TYR Wodapalooza in Miami, FL, in January.
The win against a top women’s field confirmed Campbell as a serious threat this year, a fact she has continued to demonstrate in recent competitions.
- She won the third In-Person Qualifying Event, Wodland Fest in Málaga, Spain, and finished fourth at the World Fitness Project’s (WFP) Tour Stop I.
With one day completed and two remaining in Albany, NY, Campbell’s performance on Event 3 further confirms her as a top contender for the podium.
The fact that the heavy clean event not only didn’t hurt her but actually helped her on the leaderboard sends a serious message to the other competitors.
Featured image: Lydia Stadthoewer
