The CrossFit season opened with a live announcement at Moffett Air National Guard Base, and the broadcast began on CrossFit Games channels at 12 p.m. PT with a simultaneous 3:00 pm ET stream, as reported by event coverage that noted the reveal would be free to watch on the CrossFit Games website, app, and YouTube channel. The event preview included a live matchup featuring Jayson Hopper, Dallin Pepper, Colten Mertens, and Austin Hatfield, who performed the workout immediately after Dave Castro revealed the movements.
The announced workout, presented in Rx, Scaled, and Foundations options, prescribes multiple sets of wall-ball shots interleaved with box jump-overs and medicine-ball box step-overs, and carries a 12-minute time cap. The Rx version requires a 14-pound ball, a nine-foot target, and a 20-inch box for women, and a 20-pound ball, a 10-foot target, and a 24-inch box for men. Scaled and Foundations variations adjust ball weight, target height, and allow step-up options for some divisions while keeping the same rep scheme and time cap.
The official rules emphasize specific equipment and repetition standards. The rulebook requires only one medicine ball per athlete, mandates the box be placed at least 10 feet from the wall-ball station, and specifies tiebreak times taken after each set of box jump-overs and step-overs, with the last completed set serving as the tiebreak. Movement standards include squat depth for wall-ball shots, both feet touching the top of the box for jump-overs, and that athletes step down rather than jump off the box for credited reps, as detailed in the published workout notes.
In the announcement matchup, Colten Mertens finished first with a time of 11:16.10, Jayson Hopper placed second at 11:32.90, and Dallin Pepper and Austin Hatfield reached the cap with remaining repetitions, recorded as CAP +349 and CAP +311 respectively, according to live updates of the event. The broadcast highlighted how the four athletes paced the workout and offered viewers a reference for standards and pacing.
Submission Window And Hints Ahead
Athletes were reminded that video submissions must follow the rulebook standards and be uploaded by the specified submission deadline at 5 p.m. PT on the Monday after the announcement, with two accepted methods: performing the workout under a judge at a licensed CrossFit affiliate in good standing or uploading a working YouTube link of the workout to the CrossFit Games website. Organizers also confirmed that the next two Open workouts will be revealed in the following two weeks, each accompanied by multi-day submission windows that close at 5 p.m. PT.
In the days leading up to the reveal, Dave Castro posted a short reel that focused on the eye of a statue that may depict a buffalo, a hint noted by coverage in advance of the announcement. The broadcast and the live athlete matchup were presented as a resource for competitors and fans, offering both a demonstration of standards and a preview of how top athletes approached the workout.
