It’s time for the live 18.2 announcement, and this week we’ve got one hell of a matchup on the slate: Patrick Vellner versus Noah Ohlsen. Two men who finished in the top five at the Games last year going head-to-head in the Open will make for a thrilling announcement at CrossFit R.A.W. in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. 

While Ohlsen has Vellner’s number in the Open — Ohlsen was first in the Open back in 2016 and second last year and Vellner’s best was his eighth-place finish in 2016 — Vellner has beaten Ohlsen at the Games two years in a row.

Let’s check out some stats on Vellner and Ohlsen as we wait for the workout to be revealed:

Patrick Vellner, 27, Toronto, Canada (Canada East)

2017 Open Finish: 11th

2017 Games Finish: 3rd

Best Games Finish: 3rd (Twice)

2018 Open After 18.1: 4th

Noah Ohlsen, 27, Alpharetta, GA (South East)

2017 Open Finish: 2nd

2017 Games Finish: 4th

Best Games Finish: 4th

2018 Open After 18.1: 186th

Analysis: Vellner is the third-fittest man on Earth for a reason, and he crushed 18.1 last week to land a solid spot (fourth) on the leaderboard. He’s clearly mega-fit right now, and it seems Ohlsen has turned his focus from the Open to later in the season, leaving him 186th after the first week. So who will have the advantage in the Open’s second workout?

Vellner is known for the endurance, and in that sense 18.1 — almost certainly a longer workout than any of the others will be — was always going to favor him compared to Ohlsen. Ohlsen didn’t perform too well in 18.1, but let's not forget that he has a better Open resume than Vellner and has more experience overall. Don’t discount the importance of that fact as these two go head-to-head in 18.2. 

On top of that, if 18.2 is a shorter, heavier, or more weightlifting focused event, the scales will be tipped in Ohlsen’s favor.

This matchup is fantastic because it pits two guys on the up-and-up of their careers in CrossFit. Regardless of who takes the win, it’s going to be a fun and exciting show to watch.