by With additional writing by Joe Genetin-Pilawa.
The first week of the 2024 CrossFit Games Semifinals kicked off in Décines-Charpieu, France, at the LDLC Arena. Seven thousand spectators watched live, while tens of thousands more tuned in on the CrossFit Games YouTube channel.
In the middle of all the action, a series of events involving athlete Rebecka Vitesson has again placed the topic of injuries in CrossFit competition under the microscope.
- The key questions surrounding the issue include: Who makes the calls when an athlete is injured during an event (the athlete, medical staff, and/or CrossFit officials)? What is the official protocol for responding to injuries mid-event? And what made the situation at the Europe Semifinal unique?
We asked the CrossFit Games team for an official statement on the matter and received clarifications from Adrian Bozman, Director of Competition for CrossFit, on Vitesson’s situation and an additional case involving injury over the weekend.
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What Happened?
During the third heat of women’s Event 3, Vitesson had amassed a commanding lead through the first four of six rounds of Echo bike calories, legless rope climbs, and box jumps. That was until the 8:21 mark during the heat.
- That’s when Vitesson descended from her 10th rope climb, appearing to land awkwardly. She then went down, clutching her knee.
Seconds later, at 8:28, Stella Bartram, the emcee for the French Throwdown, could be heard asking for a medic to the floor.
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A full minute passed, and then, at 9:28, the head judge and medical professionals were seen assessing Vitesson for injuries.
- Following the exchange with staff, Vitesson made the decision to put herself back on the Echo bike by 10:33. She then completed another rope climb, her 11th of the event.
She proceeded slowly down the floor to her Rogue plyo box, successfully landing two box jumps. She then appeared to step down onto her comprised leg, which buckled, and she dropped to the floor again.
This time, medical staff were on the competition floor, attending to Vitesson almost immediately. She was carried off the floor at 13:21.
- The entire series of events, from the awkward landing to the stretcher, lasted nearly five minutes.
Vitesson did not return to the competition floor, but due to the points she had earned previously, she finished in 35th place overall.
The Aftermath
Watching this sequence of events play out led to speculation and conversation for the next few days.
Jason Croxon, of JasonCFMedia, posted an Instagram Reel on the topic shortly after it occurred, asking two primary questions:
- 1. Should CrossFit intervene when an athlete is injured and remove them from the competition?
- 2. Should it be CrossFit’s decision or the athlete’s to withdraw?
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About a day after the reel, I appeared on Croxon’s live podcast with two CrossFit analysts/commentators (John Young and Bill Grundler) and Margaux Masset, one of the athletes injured during the snatch ladder at the Europe Semifinal.
During the podcast, Croxon shared this message from Vitesson (with permission, lightly edited for grammar and clarity):
“My own experience when it happened: I have had two ACL tears before, so I knew immediately in that situation what was happening and it was devastating. I worked so hard to get back to the Games and I just could not believe that this was really happening,” Vitesson shared in her message.
- “In such a situation, you can’t think clearly and the adrenaline is pumping. When the medical team finally arrived the first time, they asked me what I wanted to do. And immediately in that second, my only thought was ‘I’m not quitting, I want this so badly, I’m gonna try.’”
- “So I went up, and somehow I managed to bike and do another rope climb, but I have no idea how. And I wish I never did it, because the second time I collapsed again, the pain was twice [as bad]. And I probably damaged it more,” Vitesson said.
Vitesson’s message continued: “So then I heard your [JasonCFMedia] stories and thoughts, and you’re probably right. [T]here should maybe be some sort of quick protocol, them asking questions and making the decision. Not letting the athlete make the final decision, because again, I was not thinking rationally, I was only behaving according on my instincts and my dreams & goals.”
- Finally, she said, “Adrian Bozman also came up to me and apologized for how long I had to lay out there before getting any help.”
In preparation for that podcast, we reached out to CrossFit for an official statement and to get comments from Bozman on the injuries, the medical response, and some background on the logistics and rules in question about medically assessing and clearing athletes for continuing in competition.
The Response
On May 22, Bozman provided the following responses to questions sent two days earlier.
When asked about the amount of time that passed on the clock between Vitesson’s rope climb descent, awkward landing, and when the medical team arrived, he responded:
- “First, we want to acknowledge that the initial response time from the medical team was unacceptable. Our team promptly discussed mandatory changes with the arena’s medical staff. Those changes were incorporated immediately and continued throughout the remainder of the competition. When Rebecka was injured, our head judge went to her to assess the injury and was then joined by the medic. This is the process we use to assess whether first aid responders should enter the floor immediately, whether the athlete can continue the competition, or whether the athlete can be taken off the floor without assistance in case of injury. After consulting with Rebecka, the medical staff felt comfortable allowing her to return to competition. When the step-down injury happened, the first aid team was sent straight to the floor by the medic.”
Asked for clarification about the medical team at the LDLC Arena during the Europe Semifinal, Bozman provided additional details that were specific to this event (and different from other CrossFit-licensed events).
On the livestream, it appeared that the medical staff at the arena were not the “red shirt” medical team most see at the CrossFit Games but looked like regular emergency medical technicians (EMTs).
- Bozman (full response): “First, we want to clarify that there were no ‘red shirt’ medical volunteers present at this event; the volunteers wearing red shirts were athlete control. France requires events to use professional medical teams and first aid responders, and the venue engaged Croix Rouge as the official medical team for the event. Following Rebecka’s injury, she was brought to the first aid room and taken care of by the full medical team. Rebecka also returned to the venue on Sunday to consult with the venue medic again and watch that day’s events.”
Another story from the weekend involved Margaux Masset, an athlete who was injured during Event 5, the snatch ladder, and left the competition floor before the end of that event.
She was next seen on an Echo bike for the start of Event 6 with tape around her right elbow.
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Per section 3.11 of the CrossFit rulebook, an athlete must be cleared by the medical staff and the head judge before returning to the competition. When asked for clarification on the situation and whether she had been medically cleared, Bozman provided the following:
- “Yes. Margaux consulted the medical team and was warned that she might further injure herself, but was ultimately cleared by medical staff to compete. Margaux was aware of the risk of attempting the last workout and was again warned by the head judge and competition director. The competition liaison also advised her that she had an obligation to attempt to complete the entire workout in order to be allowed to take the floor. Under observation, Margaux completed several strict muscle-ups in the warm-up area prior to the event and continued on to complete strict muscle-ups without incident during the event. We’d also like to note that the language used in rule 3.11 has been part of our mandatory onsite athlete briefings for both Semifinals (formerly Regionals) and Games events since 2016.”
The Bottom Line
Injuries are a part of professional sports, and athletes recognize the potential for injury when they step on the competition floor.
Due to the high pressure and immediate nature of an injury mid-competition, having well-constructed protocols to aid and protect the athlete’s health and safety while maintaining the integrity of the competition and the athlete’s own free will is critical.
CrossFit has developed those protocols, and based on the official responses above, there were additional complexities with French law and the policies of the arena, making this a unique scenario that, while unfortunate, does not appear likely to repeat.
Featured image: @melody_capture / Instagram
