The 2025 CrossFit Games have concluded, crowning the Fittest Man and Woman on Earth. But the quest for the fittest in the world isn’t over. The Teenage CrossFit Games 2025 (athletes aged 14-17) will be held in Columbus, Ohio, from August 21-24, at the Columbus Convention Center, along with the Masters CrossFit Games (athletes aged 35 and older), organized by Legends. Mississippi will be sending an athlete in two categories to compete against athletes of their age from around the world.
To qualify for the Age-group CrossFit Games, individual athletes must first pass through the Open, competing against thousands, then the Semifinals. Being within the top 30 in the world at the end of the Semifinals secures an invitation to the Games.
Samuel Sullivan, also known as the Mississippi Mule, will put his CrossFit training to the test chasing the title of “Fittest Teenager in the World”.
Sullivan started CrossFit five years ago, thanks to his dad.
“I was 12 or 13 years old when I first started going to the gym with my dad,” shared Sullivan. “Dad introduced CrossFit to me as a way to just work out, and the more I did it, the more I fell in love with it.”
Sullivan competed in his first CrossFit Open at 15 years old and fell short.
“After my first open, I made it my goal to go as far as I could in the sport,” explained Sullivan.
Sullivan and his family started training at Reservoir CrossFit and their second location, Reservoir 042. Competing in the male 16-17 year old age division, Sullivan was in the top 2% in his age group in the open, moving on to the semifinals, where he again dominated, ranking third in the United States and the top five in the world.
Hollye Henderson has been competing at the highest levels of CrossFit for the last 14 years, and 2025 will mark her second trip to the CrossFit Games in the women’s 35-39 age division.
“I finished my collegiate career playing soccer, and I’m a very competitive person, and I needed an outlet,” shared Henderson. “Someone told me to go try out a competition at this CrossFit gym, and the day I should have, it was the first workout of the 2012 CrossFit Open. And it scratched the itch from the get-go.”
Three years into her journey as a competitive CrossFitter, Henderson opened an affiliate gym in Jackson, Mississippi, CrossFit JXN.
“In 2015, I opened the affiliate in Jackson because there was not another gym within the area at the time,” shared Henderson. “And I wanted to introduce more people to the CrossFit methodology that had changed my life and health for the better.”
CrossFit’s methodology centers around constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. It emphasizes a combination of strength, conditioning, and gymnastics to improve overall fitness and physical capacity rather than specializing in one area. The methodology also incorporates a strong emphasis on community and measurable results. There are at least 25 CrossFit gyms located throughout Mississippi, and countless others that utilize the training approach.
“Usually when people come in, they have this preconceived idea because they see the CrossFit Games on ESPN or online, and watch people lifting insane weights and climbing up walls and doing all these things that do not seem possible,” shared Henderson. “I lead them back into the four walls of our gym, CrossFit JXN, and explain that what we do day in and day out for general health and wellness is very different from what you see on TV.”
“99% of people who do CrossFit do not compete, which is a good thing,” shared Henderson. “At its core, it’s a lifestyle and fitness methodology to combat chronic conditions that plague Mississippi.”
With only 1% of the 1% making it to the CrossFit Games, it requires a level of commitment and dedication along with athletic ability. Athletes at the highest level are training multiple times a day, focused on proper recovery with rest and proper nutrition, all while still maintaining work schedules and other obligations.
“I feel like it’s easy to be disciplined at something you enjoy,” shared Sullivian. “And I love it!”
“There is a lot of gratitude that comes with competing at this level at my age,” shared Henderson. “Every decision has to be calculated, especially going at it for this long. You have to love it to commit what it takes.”
You can watch them take on the CrossFit Games on the website, the CrossFit app, and the CrossFit Games YouTube channel.
*All photos are courtesy of Samuel Sullivan & Hollye Henderson
