The revamped competition format showcased new talents and engaged thousands of spectators in a celebration of the CrossFit Community
The eighth edition of the Italian Showdown set a marked change from the past, with the introduction of three different ability categories, as well as age divisions up to 50 years of age and teams. This has allowed many new athletes to enter the world of competition for the first time, being able to compete live against their peers.
For many of the 672 athletes who arrived from all over Italy and 15 other countries, the 2023 Italian Showdown was the debut on an international competition field. And many of the finalists who made it to the podium represent a new generation of athletes who are sure to be the champions of the near future in the CrossFit competition landscape.
Workout and competition field
There were no cuts during the three days of competition, so all the athletes were able to perform all the workouts. The tests were very demanding for all the athletes, with loads and skills based on the standards of the CrossFit Open. Most of the workouts were of the “time priority” type, to give all athletes the opportunity to push as long as possible in the given time.
Another novelty: the workouts did not take place in progress across the entire competition floor, as happened in past editions, but on fixed positions located right in front of the spectators. In this way the fans were able to watch the match directly from the sidelines, in very close contact with the athletes, to support them and push them to give their all until the last rep.
The workouts have been scheduled so that they can be completed during a single daily event, in the morning or in the afternoon, so as to leave the athletes half a day free to visit the fair and relax on the beach. Furthermore, the entire heat schedule has been published in advance, to give athletes the possibility to avoid unnecessary waiting and downtime.
A huge success
Thanks to these innovations, the 2023 Italian Showdown had unprecedented success: throughout the three days of the competition, over 20.000 people populated Pavilion C1 of the Rimini Expo Center to attend the workouts of the 57 heats of athletes. The video highlights on Instagram exceeded 30.000 views in just a few hours and the official website of the Italian Showdown became a “trending page” on Google with over 100.000 hits during the week of the event.
But what matters most is the satisfaction of the athletes who, never like this year, have appreciated the new competition format, the precision of the organization, the punctuality of the programming and the efficiency of all the staff. Even today, many compliments are coming for the kindness and helpfulness of all the staff: the athletes felt as comfortable as in their box, as well as protagonists of an experience of unique emotions.
Podium Finishers
| Elite F | Elite M |
|---|---|
| 1st MARTINUZZI MONICA | 1st ROMANO RICCARDO |
| 2nd GARCÍA CAPARROS MANUELA | 2nd WROŃSKI BARTŁOMIEJ |
| 3rd TRIFOGLIO CLAUDIA | 3rd KOPEĆ MARCIN |
| Intermediate F | Intermediate M |
|---|---|
| 1st LICCHELLI SILVIA | 1st ANDRUCCIOLI MATTIA |
| 2nd LANCIONI JESSICA | 2nd LIMAJ AMBRO |
| 3rd GHISELLI CHIARA | 3rd FRIXIONE FEDERICO |
| Experience F | Experience M |
|---|---|
| 1st PASINI MARTINA | 1st PAPPALARDO GIORGIO |
| 2nd TARANTINI EZIANA | 2nd SIGNORILE MICHELE |
| 3rd RIZZO FRANCESCA | 3rd BANDINI MATTEO |
| Master 35 M | Master 40 M |
|---|---|
| 1st CALZUOLA MATTEO | 1st FERRARO GIUSEPPE |
| 2nd RIILLO ANTONIO | 2nd PEDERZANI FLAVIO |
| 3rd D’ERCOLI MICHELE | 3rd SHERIDAN ANDREW |
| Master 40 F | Master 45 F |
|---|---|
| 1st RIGHI ELISA | 1st SCARPELLI EMANUELA |
| 2nd MAGGIO RITA | 2nd CESCA ELISA |
| 3rd BAZZANA VERA | 3rd MARCHETTI ALESSIA |
| Master 45 M | Master 50 M |
|---|---|
| 1st DI BUÒ ROBERTO | 1st FLORIANI FRANCESCO |
| 2nd SESTU OMAR | 2nd BORRELLO ANDREA |
| 3rd CALABRESE DOMENICO | 3rd PERPENTI NICOLA |
| Team Experience MMF |
|---|
| 1st PIOVONO POLPETTE: PAOLUCCI, SANTINELLI, DI TOMMASO |
| 2nd CROSSFIT PG: CRISTOFARI, CASTELLANO, ROSI |
| 3rd TEAMBAURIT: DI IORIO, MONTI, CICCARELLI |
To see the overall leaderboard with all the scores of all the events click here…
The overall leaderboard based on the scores of all the workouts decreed the athletes who reached the podium to receive the medal of the 2023 Italian Showdown. The cash prizes went to the first three ranked in the Elite categories (500, 300 and 200 euros) and to the winners of the Masters categories (250 euros). Furthermore, Xenios USA awarded the winners of all categories with a 100 euro voucher and all the other finalists with a product as a gift.
