For the last three years, no one has come close to challenging CrossFit Games champion Mat Fraser.Not only has Fraser won every competition he’s entered, he has also dominated the field, with ever increasing margins.However, if there’s one man who is capable of dethroning Fraser, it could well be Canadian Patrick Vellner.The 28-year-old from Ontario, Canada, has finished on the podium in each of the last three years at the CrossFit Games, finishing second in 2018.
At the 2018 CrossFit Games, Vellner suffered a myriad of misfortunes, enough to derail the toughest of competitors.In the opening event, a cycling criterium, or “crit,” Vellner crashed, resulting in him having to race part of the course carrying his bike until a replacement could be found. Then during the “Battleground” obstacle course, Vellner’s leg got caught in a rope ladder, causing him to fall 15 feet to the ground, landing on his shoulder.He even had to deal with a piece of rogue weightlifting equipment somehow rolling away mid-event, forcing him to chase after it across the competition floor, costing him vital seconds.
In August, the CrossFit Games will once again be held in Madison, Wisconsin, where Vellner will join the field competing for the title “The Fittest Man on Earth.”The one man standing in his way will once again be Fraser, the three-time defending champion, whose dominance in the sport has made it seem like everyone else is competing for second.
