Aline Wirz – The Road to the CrossFit Games 2026

"I never thought it was possible to come this far." When Aline Wirz says these words into our camera, she's sitting there calmly. No drama, no pathos. Just an athlete being honest about her journey. A journey that has already taken her to 11th place worldwide in the CrossFit Open this year – and one that's far from over.

We're following Aline as a cross equip athlete and have documented her season so far in two video chapters. This is the story behind it.

The Spark – Berlin and the Moment That Changed Everything

There are moments in sport that turn everything upside down. For Aline, it was her first Semi-Final appearance in Berlin. Not because of a standout result – but because something shifted in her mind. "It opened so many doors for me in terms of self-confidence," she says. "I think that's when I started dreaming big."

Then came the hard blow: missing the CrossFit Games qualification – by the narrowest of margins. So close that it lingered for days. But that very moment became the fuel for everything that followed.

"It opened my eyes – this time I can truly hope to make it to the Games. And as long as the fire inside me burns, I won't stop."

Aline Wirz

These aren't just words. Aline lives this – every day, every session, every qualifier.

A New Approach – Preparation with a System

What makes this season different: Aline and her coach have fundamentally adjusted the plan. Strength was always a relative weakness. A few kilos were missing to not just keep up at truly heavy events, but to be competitive. "The idea is that this year we really try to avoid events where I'm thinking: we just want to limit the damage," Aline explains. "The goal is consistency – across all events."

And there's something else that's different: the Open is no longer the peak of Aline's season. It's a checkpoint. "At the beginning, the Open was the event of the year – I was prepared for it, I was ready. Now I'm still in the preparation phase. My peak comes later."

That doesn't sound like less ambition. That sounds like more strategy.

Open 2026 – Three Workouts, One Statement

The CrossFit Open 2026 showed where Aline stands. And that is: right at the front.

26.1 – The Grinder

Wall-Ball Shots, Box Jump-Overs and Medicine-Ball Box Step-Overs in alternating reps – a 12-minute test of endurance, rhythm and mental toughness. 246 Wall Balls in total. If you hold on without breaking, you're fit. Aline finishes the workout in 11:26 and lands in 19th place worldwide.

26.2 – The Show

Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunges, Alternating Dumbbell Snatches and then the big highlight: from Pull-ups to Chest-to-Bar to Ring Muscle-ups – all under a 15-minute time cap. "I love the rings – I'm so happy," Aline says in the video. And the result speaks for itself: 6:52 – 5th place worldwide. After two workouts, she's sitting in 3rd place in the world.

26.3 – The Test

Burpees over the Bar, Cleans and Thrusters at increasing weights across six rounds. 16-minute time cap. Brutal on paper – even more brutal in execution. This workout was built directly into the Wodapalooza competition – so Aline completes it on the big stage in Miami, in the heat, in front of a crowd. The Thrusters are a biomechanical challenge for Aline with her long legs. She's not as explosive in this movement as she is in gymnastics. With 285 reps in 93rd place, she drops back. The day after the competition she retries the workout – improves, but it's not quite enough for the top 10.

The Result

11th place worldwide. 117 points. Out of hundreds of thousands of female athletes.

Sure, Aline wanted a top 5 finish. 26.3 didn't go as planned. But when you take a step back and look at that number – 11th in the world – that's a monster performance. Period.

Wodapalooza Miami – The Big Stage

Alongside the Open, Aline competed at Wodapalooza – one of the biggest and most prestigious CrossFit events in the world, this year in Miami. The competition floor is a different world: thousands of spectators, live broadcast, the full program.

Aline delivers. Consistent, clean, focused. No event failed, everything completed. The result: a strong 10th place – at one of the biggest CrossFit events on the planet. Congrats!

What stands out in the video: Aline talks about the mental side.

"I've seen so many scenarios play out in competition. When it really comes down to it, it's more mental than physical."

Aline Wirz

It's exactly this mental maturity that's taking her to the next level this year.

The Road to the Games – All Options Open

Now things get really exciting. Aline and her coach are running a smart strategy: qualify for every possible Semi-Final – then decide.

French Showdown (May, France)
The qualification was extremely selective: three workouts, only the top 20 get through. Aline wins the final qualifying workout and secures 10th place – ticket locked in.

Renegade Games (South Africa)
This is where it gets particularly interesting: only 11 international female athletes signed up for the qualifier, 10 qualify – and there's a direct Games spot. Aline qualifies in first place. Potentially the shortest path to the Games.

MAD Fitness Festival (Spain)
For this Semi-Final, Aline received a direct invitation.

Affiliate Battle (France)
Aline also qualified here – despite a significantly larger field of elite athletes.

The philosophy behind it: qualify everywhere, every qualifying event "one and done" – go hard, give your best, move on. No redo, no second-guessing. And then decide later which Semi-Final is the best option.

The next big milestone: the Quarter-Finals. That's when we'll see how well the new training plan is working.

Anything Is Possible

When you ask Aline what's different this year, she says one sentence that sums it all up:

"This year I don't see a barrier anymore where I think it's impossible. Anything is possible."

Aline Wirz

No more barriers. Anything is possible. That's the mindset of an athlete who knows what she's capable of – and who's ready to show it. With a strong team around her, a plan that works, and a fire that's not getting any smaller.

At cross equip, we're proud to be part of Aline's journey. Not because she delivers perfect results – but because she walks her path with conviction, honesty and passion. Exactly the values that drive us too.

The 2026 season has only just begun. And we can't wait to see where it goes.