I don’t know if it’s possible to top last week’s epic 18.2 announcement matchup between Patrick Vellner and Noah Ohlsen that went down to the wire, but nonetheless 18.3 will try by giving us an excellent, blast-from-the-past pairing. 

This week’s Open announcement — Thursday, March 8, at Skyline CrossFit in Houston, Texas — will highlight two of CrossFit’s best Masters competitors: Kyle Kasperbauer and Neal Maddox, who will each try to set the workout bar for the rest of us to chase. I expect more fireworks like we saw at 18.2.

Let’s get into the stats for 18.3.

Kyle Kasperbauer, 35, Omaha, Nebraska (Crossfit Kinesis)

2017 Open Finish: 1st (35-39)

2017 Games Finish: 1st (35-39)

Best Games Finish: 3rd (2012)

2018 Open After 18.2: 12th (35-39)

Neal Maddox, 40, San Jose, California (CrossFit X-Treme Athletics)

2017 Open Finish: 4th (35-39)

2017 Games Finish: 2nd (35-39)

Best Games Finish: 9th (2013)

2018 Open After 18.2: 3rd (40-44)

Analysis: If you’ve been a CrossFit fan since the early days, this Open matchup between Kyle Kasperbauer and Neal Maddox will have a nostalgic flair as these two Masters competitors are legends of the sport. Both men have been active in CrossFit since 2009. Kasperbauer, now 35, was the the third-fittest man on Earth back in 2012, while Maddox, 40, notched a ninth-place Games finish in 2013. They aren’t the young bucks they used to be, but make no mistake: Kasperbauer and Maddox are still two of toughest athletes in fitness right now, and each is fighting for control of his respective age division in 2018. Kasperbauer won the Masters 35-39 division at the Games last year, with Maddox the runner-up.

18.3 will mark the Open announcement debuts for both men, which to me makes this one all the more exciting. These are both supreme veterans of the craft, but will there be some jitters involved in this new environment? Either way, I expect Kasperbauer and Maddox to attack this workout like a year’s worth of bragging rights are on the line. 

Prediction: I love this matchup because we get two former small school football stars — Kasperbauer was an All-American at DII Nebraska Omaha, while Maddox played at DIII Linfield College — with nearly identical resumes. Kasperbauer has had a bit more Games success than Maddox, but given how early in the season we are and how close these two finished in the 35-39 category last year, I think it’s a toss up. But because I have to pick, I’ll take Maddox and his more consistent Open record.