Olivia Kerstetter Wins Open 26.3 Live Announcement at Wodapalooza

Fresh off a staph infection that had temporarily shut down her training, Olivia Kerstetter walked onto the Gymreapers Wodapalooza stage on Miami Beach and put up 285 reps to win the live announcement of CrossFit Open Workout 26.3, beating two of the sport's most established names in a head-to-head showcase on March 15.

Kerstetter, 20 years old and already a multi-time CrossFit Games athlete, maintained a strong pace throughout the workout and pulled away from Arielle Loewen and Danielle Brandon by 8 and 11 reps respectively. Based on those margins, Loewen finished with approximately 277 reps and Brandon with approximately 274, though official totals for both athletes have not been confirmed.

The result carries extra weight given the circumstances. A staph infection had recently sidelined Kerstetter and forced a disruption to her 2026 prep, making her performance against two seasoned Games competitors a notable data point heading into the remainder of the Open season. Loewen and Brandon are not names you beat on an off day at a live showcase in front of a full Wodapalooza crowd.

The live announcement format at Wodapalooza has become one of the marquee moments of the Open calendar, placing elite athletes side-by-side in real time as the workout is revealed to the global field. Winning that showcase does not change the leaderboard standing for athletes who have already submitted scores, but it sets a visible benchmark for the community and carries real psychological weight heading into redo windows.

For Kerstetter, this was the kind of performance that accelerates a reputation. Multiple Games appearances before the age of 21 already put her in a narrow category; doing it while coming back from a health setback, and doing it against Loewen and Brandon, makes the 285-rep total a number the CrossFit community will be tracking when the full 26.3 leaderboard shakes out.