On March 28, 2022, four-time CrossFit Games competitor Bethany Shadburne announced her withdrawal from the 2022 CrossFit season due to a back injury suffered during the Quarterfinals. Per the caption in her post on her Instagram page where she disclosed the news, Shadburne’s “back went out” during her warm-up for The Other Total workout, which consisted of establishing a max clean, max bench press, and max overhead squat.


Unfortunately during my warm-up, my back went out on me, leaving me on the floor and knowing that I wasn’t going to be able to do the rest of the weekend.

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While Shadburne expressed disappointment regarding her injury and withdrawal from the 2022 season, she said she was not surprised, given “the variety of injuries that had come…since COVID.” Shadburne’s bout with COVID-19 kept her from competing in the 2021 CrossFit Games. Check out her full statement in her Instagram post below:




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[Related: 2022 CrossFit Games Prize Money Increases To $2,845,000 For All Divisions]


Shadburne has been struggling with her back problems for all of the 2022 CrossFit season thus far, stating went “out on her multiple times since January [2021].” Despite the lingering back issues, the 28-year-old Shadburne managed to finish 107th worldwide in the 2022 CrossFit Open. She even went head-to-head with Danielle Brandon during the live announcement of Workout 22.1. While her 2022 season is over, Shadburne seemed to remain hopeful about her future in the sport:


I’m going to allow myself some time to feel these emotions and then get pain-free/continue to do what I know to do. I know I’m on the right path, it’s just a “not right now.”

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Shadburne is the second elite Individual athlete in the Women’s division to withdraw from the 2022 season due to a back injury. Emma Cary announced her withdrawal from the 2022 season on March 25, 2022.


Bethany Shadburne’s CrossFit Career
Shadburne made her CrossFit Games debut with a 22nd-place finish in 2017. She has reached the Games in every subsequent year since aside from the 2021 Games, where she was not allowed to compete due to a positive COVID-19 test. Here are her full results below:


  • 2017 CrossFit Games — 22nd place
  • 2018 CrossFit Games — 16th place
  • 2019 CrossFit Games — Eighth place
  • 2020 CrossFit Games20th place

Additionally, in 2021, Shadburne won the West Coast Classic Semifinal. It is unclear if Shadburne’s back will be sufficiently healed by the start of the 2023 CrossFit season. However, in her Instagram post, she made clear that when she does return, “Once healthy Bethany is on the competition floor, it’s going to be scary.”


Featured image: @bethanycf on Instagram




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