CrossFit Games 2026: James Sprague wins again, Aimee Cringle takes first title
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | 2026 CrossFit Games (20th edition) |
| Dates | July 22–26, 2026 |
| Venue | SAP Center, San Jose, California |
| Men's champion | James Sprague (2nd title) |
| Women's champion | Aimee Cringle (1st title) |
| Team champion | CrossFit Whip |
The 20th-anniversary CrossFit Games at the SAP Center in San Jose crowned James Sprague as the men’s Fittest on Earth for the second time, after his first title in 2024. Britain’s Aimee Cringle won the women’s title for the first time.
The Games opened at the ranch in Aromas, California, where the first Games were held in 2007, before moving to San Jose for a record 20 scored events.
Final standings
| Place | Men | Points | Women | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Sprague | 1,318 | Aimee Cringle | 1,394 |
| 2 | Dallin Pepper | 1,291 | Emma Lawson | 1,258 |
| 3 | Jay Crouch | 1,228 | Lucy Campbell | 1,229 |
| 4 | Justin Medeiros | 1,104 | Alex Gazan | 1,041 |
| 5 | Ricky Garard | 1,100 | Madeline Sturt | 1,026 |
Cringle won by 136 points, the largest margin in either individual division. Sprague’s win was much tighter, 27 points over Dallin Pepper. CrossFit Whip won the team title by 25 points over CrossFit Mayhem.
Cringle succeeds Tia-Clair Toomey, who won in 2024 and 2025 and holds the record of eight individual titles. Jayson Hopper won the men’s title in 2025.
How the 2026 season worked
| Stage | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Open | Feb 26 – Mar 16 | ~254,000 registered; Colten Mertens and Lucy Campbell won |
| Quarterfinals | Mar 26–30 | Restored for 2026; top 25% of Open athletes advanced |
| Semifinals | April – June | Ten in-person events plus online semifinals |
| Games | Jul 22–26 | 30 men, 30 women, 20 teams |
Our take
Twenty events is the right direction for the Games: the more varied the test, the more the result rewards complete athletes over specialists. Cringle’s 136-point margin in that format is a statement that she is the best all-round female athlete in the sport.
Sprague’s second title in three years makes him the leading man of the post-Fraser era, though Pepper’s narrow second shows the men’s field is as deep as it has ever been.
Every champion since 2007 is on our CrossFit Games champions page.
The record 20-event Games
Twenty scored events made the 2026 Games the longest in history, opening at the ranch in Aromas, California, where the first Games were held in 2007, before moving to the SAP Center. A longer programme reduces the impact of any one bad event and rewards athletes who can perform across strength, gymnastics, endurance and skill tests.
Toomey's legacy and the new era
| Athlete | Individual titles |
|---|---|
| Tia-Clair Toomey | 8 |
| Mat Fraser | 5 |
| Rich Froning | 4 |
| Justin Medeiros | 2 |
| James Sprague | 2 |
| Aimee Cringle | 1 |
With Tia-Clair Toomey’s eight titles still the standard, the women’s division now has a new champion, and Cringle’s margin suggests she can hold the title for several years.