Days remain until one of the events the European CrossFit community has been waiting for for months. The French Throwdown 2026 takes place from May 15–17 at the Arena Grand Paris with a roster of elite athletes that gives you goosebumps, 3 direct tickets to the CrossFit Games at stake and an atmosphere you can’t describe—only experience.
At VELITES we are official sponsors of this event. And that gives us a unique perspective to tell you everything you need to know, whether you’re competing, cheering, or simply following it from home.
What the French Throwdown is and why it matters
The French Throwdown is France’s largest CrossFit competition and, for the third consecutive year, an official CrossFit Games Semifinal. That puts it on the same level as the world’s most prestigious events on the calendar: whoever wins here competes at the Games.
Born in 2012 at La Villette (Paris), the event has grown edition after edition, moving through INSEP (2013–2016), Stade Charléty (2017–2018), the National Velodrome of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (2019–2022), the LDLC Arena in Lyon where the 2024 European CrossFit Games Semifinals were held, and the Sud de France Arena in Montpellier in 2025.
In 2026, the French Throwdown returns to Paris. In a big way.
French Throwdown 2026: Official Details
Dates: May 15–17, 2026
Venue: Arena Grand Paris, France. (Avenue Traversière
Tremblay-en-France, Ile de France, 93290)
What's at stake
The French Throwdown 2026 awards direct spots to the CrossFit Games 2026 (San Jose, California, July 24–26):
- 3 spots for men (elite individual category)
- 3 spots for women (elite individual category)
- 3 spots for teams (elite teams category)
- Spots for Masters according to category (between 1 and 3 per division)
Athletes Confirmed for the Elite Final 2026
Here is the battlefield. 40 men and 40 women from across Europe — and some names from outside the continent — will fight for podium positions. This is the full list of elite individual participants confirmed for the Paris final:
Men
🇬🇷 Alex Kotoulas · 🇬🇷 Anestis Artemis · 🇬🇷 Antonios Makaronas · 🇮🇸 Bjarni Leifs · 🇫🇷 Briant Guillaume · 🇬🇧 Calum Clements · 🇨🇭 Colin Bosshard · 🇵🇹 Diogo Pereira · 🇺🇦 Dmytro Myndresku · 🇵🇹 Eduardo Caferra · 🇮🇹 Enrico Zenoni · 🇩🇪 Eric Zuchold · 🇪🇸 Fabian Beneito Selles · 🇳🇱 Fabian Hermans · 🇬🇷 Giorgos Karavis · 🇬🇧 Harry Lightfoot · 🇫🇮 Henrik Haapalainen · 🇩🇪 Jan Arnd Finkenberg · 🇫🇷 Jules Castor · 🇮🇹 Leonardo Barneschi · 🇮🇹 Leonardo Grottino · 🇫🇷 Loan Sloma · 🇫🇷 Luca Buisson · 🇪🇸 Luis Cuellar · 🇫🇷 Matteo Charrier · 🇵🇱 Michal Wesolowski · 🇩🇪 Moritz Fiebig · 🇬🇪 Nika Maisuradze · 🇫🇷 Quentin Gerald · 🇮🇸 Rökkvi Guðnason · 🇫🇷 Romain Fellonneau · 🇵🇹 Ruben Leite · 🇧🇪 Sven Geens · 🇬🇧 Toby Buckland · 🇬🇧 Tom Kingdon · 🇪🇸 Victor Garcia de Val · 🇳🇴 Victor Helsinghof · 🇫🇷 Victor Hoffer · 🇸🇪 Victor Ljungdal · 🇧🇷 Vitor Loffi Wawrzeniak
Women
🇬🇷 Afroditi Grigoriadi · 🇬🇧 Aimee Cringle · 🇪🇸 Alazne Egiazabal · 🇨🇭 Aline Wirz · 🇪🇪 Andra Moistus · 🇫🇷 Célia Girard · 🇫🇷 Claudia Gluck · 🇨🇭 Debora Pignone · 🇪🇸 Eider Murgia · 🇪🇸 Elena Carratalá · 🇮🇹 Elisa Fuliano · 🇸🇪 Ella Kanona Wunger · 🇮🇪 Holly Tynan · 🇮🇹 Jasmine Ghilardi · 🇬🇧 Jennifer Muir · 🇦🇱 Joana Skendaj · 🇳🇱 Jorien Feddes · 🇵🇱 Julia Blazejowska · 🇩🇪 Julia Jakobsen · 🇮🇪 Katie Healy · 🇷🇸 Kristina Kika Vasic · 🇪🇸 Laura Plaza González · 🇳🇴 Leah Storen · 🇫🇷 Lisa Janin · 🇮🇪 Lucy Mcgonigle · 🇧🇪 Manon Angonese · 🇪🇸 Maribel Gallardo · 🇫🇮 Marika Seppälä · 🇮🇹 Martina Borrini · 🇳🇴 Matilde Oyen Garnes · 🇨🇭 Mirjam von Rohr · 🇧🇪 Morgane Thyssens · 🇸🇪 Rebecka Vitesson · 🇳🇱 Rebekka Hoek · 🇺🇸 Reese Littlewood · 🇩🇰 Rikke Laursen · 🇧🇪 Robine Verhaegen · 🇦🇱 Siria Meha · 🇮🇸 Steinunn Anna Svansdóttir · 🇳🇴 Vår Thurmann-Moe
Names to Watch on the Floor
With athletes from more than 30 countries represented, the French Throwdown 2026 is a map of European CrossFit in motion.
In the men's field, standout names include Calum Clements (🇬🇧), Sven Geens (🇧🇪), Victor Hoffer (🇫🇷) and Fabian Hermans (🇳🇱), all with previous experience in international Semifinals.
On the women's side, Claudia Gluck (🇫🇷), Lucy McGonigle (🇮🇪), Manon Angonese (🇧🇪) and Elena Carratalá (🇪🇸) arrive as some of the favorites with the most upside on the European circuit.
Whatever your country, there's someone on that floor competing to reach the CrossFit Games.
The Team Battle: A Historic Record
Beyond the individual, the French Throwdown 2026 also has at stake 3 spots to the CrossFit Games in the elite teams category. And this year the battle has a special incentive: for the first time in the event’s history, 6 French teams compete in the elite category. A record that speaks to the dramatic growth of CrossFit in the host country.
European representation maps the strength of CrossFit across the continent: 3 Spanish teams, 3 Norwegian teams, 3 from the United Kingdom, plus teams from Sweden, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. Only 3 of them will go to the Games. Every heat counts.
How Qualification for the French Throwdown 2026 Works
The French Throwdown has a mixed access system: some athletes get in via direct invitation and others through the online qualifier.
Route 1: Invitation from the CrossFit Open + Quarterfinals
The top athletes in the CrossFit competitive ecosystem receive direct spots:
- Elite Individual: 20 men and 20 women invited (the top Europeans after the Quarterfinals)
- Masters (35–54): 5 athletes per category and gender
- Masters 55+: invitation only, 5 per category
- Elite Teams: 10 teams invited
Route 2: French Throwdown Online Qualifier
Open to any athlete. The 2026 qualifiers took place between January 29 and February 15, with 3 WODs. The top finishers advanced directly to the Paris final:
- Elite Individual: 20 men + 20 women qualified
- RX: 20 men + 20 women
- Intermediate: 20 men + 20 women
- Teens 16-17: 10 boys + 10 girls
- Masters 35-54: between 5 and 10 athletes per category and gender
- Elite Teams: 10 teams
- RX Teams: 40 teams
- Intermediate Teams: 60 teams
- Beginner Teams: 20 teams
An important change for 2026: the Beginner Individual disappears in favor of an expansion of Teams Beginner, betting on a more accessible, community-focused experience for athletes new to competition.
The Spectator Experience at Arena Grand Paris
The French Throwdown is not just for competitors. It’s a community event where families, couples, boxmates and fans from across Europe gather for three days.
The Arena Grand Paris makes it possible with infrastructure no other European CrossFit event can match: more than 20,000 seats, full visibility of the competition floor, on-site catering and the atmosphere of a major sporting event.
Spectator tickets are available with multiple options: Early Bird, 3-day passes and family rates. You can get them on the event’s official website.
Bringing your family is not a Plan B. It’s Plan A. Seeing a child watch in person as an athlete lifts a bar from the floor when their legs can’t go on is an experience hard to find in any other sport.
An Event That Goes Beyond the Podium
Since 2022, the French Throwdown donates all profits to the Aladin association, whose mission is to make the dreams of sick children come true. Attending or competing at the French Throwdown is also being part of something bigger than any leaderboard result.
VELITES at the French Throwdown 2026
VELITES is the official sponsor of the French Throwdown 2026. That means our team will be on the floor where Europe’s best athletes decide who goes to the CrossFit Games. It’s no accident: we’ve been supporting the CrossFit community for years with equipment that withstands what the elite demands.
The gear we use as a sponsor is exactly what you have available in our store. If it’s good enough for a Semifinal and the CrossFit Games, it’s good enough for your box.
What You Need to Perform Like a Pro at the French Throwdown
Semifinal WODs test two things most athletes underestimate until it’s too late: grip and wrist stability. The most frequent movements in this type of competition (muscle-ups, toes to bar, kipping pull-ups, thrusters, cleans, overhead squats) are the ones that wear down an athlete’s hands fastest if they’re not properly equipped.
Weighted Jump Rope Earth 2.0 — Athletes compete with the Velites Earth 2.0 rope and on the last day you can buy the ropes they competed with for €80 (rope + 3 weights).
VELITES Hand Grips — Designed to withstand long sets on the bar so the hands don’t give out before the rest of the body. In a competition where the difference between qualifying and not can be the last reps of an AMRAP, hand grips are part of the training plan and an essential competition item.
VELITES Hybrid Shoes — Stability where you need it most in training and competition. Comfort and firmness throughout the test.
👉 On-site Apparel Personalization — Come to our Stand at the competition and personalize your Velites t-shirt and you can take it with you (or give it as a gift).
HOLO Spring Summer VELITES Apparel — What you wear at a competition must disappear from your mind. Freedom of movement, sweat-managing fabrics and durability from event to event.
👉 See VELITES products for CrossFit
More news at the VELITES stand. See you there.
Frequently Asked Questions about French Throwdown 2026
When and where is the French Throwdown 2026? May 15–17, 2026 at Arena Grand Paris, France.
Is it a CrossFit Games Semifinal? Yes. For the third consecutive year, the French Throwdown is an official Semifinal of the CrossFit Games circuit.
How many spots to the CrossFit Games are awarded? 3 for elite men, 3 for elite women and 3 for elite teams. Masters receive between 1 and 3 spots depending on their age category.
Can I attend as a spectator if I’m not competing? Absolutely. Tickets are available with Early Bird, 3-day passes and family rates on the event’s official website.
Are there categories for all levels? Yes: Elite, RX, Intermediate, Beginner (teams), Teens and Masters from 35–39 up to 70+.
Does VELITES have a presence at the event? Yes. We are official sponsors of the French Throwdown 2026 and we will be present at the venue.
Conclusion
The French Throwdown 2026 is this year’s most important European CrossFit meeting. Three days of competition at Arena Grand Paris where 40 elite men and 40 elite women, plus teams from across Europe, fight for everything to reach the CrossFit Games.
Whether you’re competing, cheering from the stands or following the leaderboard on your phone, this is what must be on your calendar from May 15 to 17.
And if you want to arrive equipped like the athletes in a Semifinal, you know where to find us.
VELITES is an official sponsor of the French Throwdown 2026.
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