Open 26.2 WOD, athletes and analysis by Calum Clements and Tiago Luzes

The second week of Open 26.2 is already history! After the impressive live announcement from Cascais, Portugal, where VELITES had the honor of being the official sponsor, the cards are now on the table.

The atmosphere at CrossFit Black Edition has been electric, and besides watching the world’s best athletes fight in the WOD, we took the opportunity to reveal Velites' best kept secret: the new MINIMAL shoes. Designed to feel the ground like never before and give you that extra agility this WOD demands.

Curious? Discover them here:

https://usa.velitessport.com/pages/minimal-1-0

It’s time to go all out! Here’s all the information to master the second round.

WOD 26.2 revealed

Dave Castro did not disappoint. Here is the official scheme that will test us this weekend:

 

We’ve got the WOD!!

For time:

80-foot dumbbell overhead walking lunge

20 alternating dumbbell snatches

20 pull-ups

80-foot dumbbell overhead walking lunge

20 alternating dumbbell snatches

20 chest-to-bar pull-ups

80-foot dumbbell overhead walking lunge

20 alternating dumbbell snatches

20 ring muscle-ups

TIME CAP: 15 minutes

Women: 35-lb (15-kg) dumbbell

Men: 50-lb (22.5-kg) dumbbell

Schedule, venue and submission window guide for the WOD

So logistics aren’t a problem and you can focus only on your strategy, here are the essential details for this 26.2:

Note: You have until Monday 9 March at 01:00 CET to register your result on the CrossFit Games website. As always, you can attempt the WOD multiple times, but only the last result you submit counts.

Tips from Calum Clements and Tiago Luzes

Our athletes, Calum Clements and Tiago Luzes, have seen the WOD and already know the direction. Here’s their first reaction and technical analysis.

 

 

Calum recommends:

 

• For gymnastics, he would use the Velites Quad Pro grips—a very solid choice. However, we also recommend the All Terrain grips, as they are perfect for any surface. They adapt perfectly to both bars and rings, improving grip thanks to their high-grip texture and thinner profile.
• The key to the WOD is the Ring Muscle-Ups.
• Divide the gymnastic movements (pull-ups and chest-to-bar pull-ups) into sets of 5 or 10. 
• Make sure you reach the Ring Muscle-Ups with energy because that’s where it all gets decided.
• Above all, really enjoy the workout and have fun with your training partners.

 

Tiago recommends:

 

• Start slow, don’t rush.
• If you do the pull-ups and chest-to-bar pull-ups too fast you will blow up on the Ring Muscle-Ups, since the secret of the WOD is there.
• Start slow, take short rests, but keep moving at all times so you have time to finish.
• Enjoy the WOD

The Stage and the Leading Athletes: Women's duel in Portugal

The show in Cascais has been historic. In this second week, the women's duel featured three world-class elite athletes:

• Mirjam von Rohr 🇨🇭: The undisputed queen of the Open, winner of the 2024 and 2025 editions and seventh at the Crossfit Games 2025.
• Lucy Campbell 🇬🇧: Runner-up at the Games 2025 and winner at Wodapalooza 2025. 4th at the CrossFit Open 2025.
• Aimee Cringle 🇬🇧: The rising star, 8th at the Games 2025 and an athlete with great progression.

Women's leaderboard

The level in Cascais has been spectacular. Watching these athletes inspires our version of the WOD. Here’s how the ranking turned out:

 

1. Lucy Campbell (6:50)
2. Aimee Cringle (6:57)
3. Mirjam Von Rohr (8:08)
4. Hayleigh Kanthack (8:35)
5. Camila Salomonsson Hellman (9:51)

 

Men's leaderboard

As for the men, this is how the leaderboard looks just after the WOD was announced and the first attempts began:

 

1. Chen Sheng  (6:57)
2. Esteban Ospina  (6:58)
3. Tristán Harrison  (7:26)
4. Connor Smith  (7:52)
5. Louis Leray  (7:56)

The Velites Kit: How to tackle this WOD?

Based on the demands of 26.2, this is the equipment that will help you achieve a good result:

Quad Pro grips (recommended by Calum) and All Terrain

Minimal shoes 

The global launch took place at this 26.2 event, so if you want yours, go here and reserve them: 

https://usa.velitessport.com/pages/minimal-1-0

HOLO Line (Technology and Comfort): 

In a longer WOD (15–20 min), sweat management and freedom of movement are non-negotiable.

• For her: The HOLO crop tops and leggings have been designed with support and durability in mind. They are built to withstand bar friction and provide the necessary hold without restricting your range of motion at all in the toes-to-bar.

• For him: Our HOLO shirts and pants offer superior breathability to keep you cool even when the thrusters or cleans start to feel heavy.

As Calum and Tiago have recommended, enjoy the WOD.

You can now check out the 26.3 information with the athlete analysis here