A lot can happen in a teenager’s life over their four years in high school, and that includes exploring new hobbies. Jeremie Jourdan of Denair is no different, taking a step back from the iron jungle that is the gym and strapping on pads and a helmet for the first time. 

After claiming stake as the “Fittest in the World” as a 15-year-old at the prestigious 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, Jourdan took his athletic abilities to Big Valley Christian High School in Modesto, joining the football program and relishing in all the other activities that teenagers tend to enjoy.

But next week, Jourdan, now 17 and entering his senior year, will again be packing his bags for the Midwest at a chance to claim gold at the 2025 CrossFit Games in Columbus, Ohio from Aug. 21-24.

“I just needed a break,” said Jourdan, whose nicknamed “The Jerm.” 

“I really wanted to try football for the first time, actually be a teenager for once instead of training all the time, and I enjoyed it. I’ve been liking football, playing running back and linebacker, and definitely looking forward to the season.”

With all the time he dedicated to CrossFit since he tried it out for the first time nearly five years ago, the natural urge to link back up with longtime trainer Isaiah Figueroa and put his athleticism back to the test in the gym. Also motivating him was the fact that the CrossFit Games only have age groups for youth athletes up to 17 years old. After that, the youngest adult groups include athletes age 18 to 30, a significantly larger pool.

“As a 17-year old, it's my last year being able to compete, and I won’t be able to qualify for a long time after this,” Jourdan said. “So I wanted to go out and just see what I could do, prove to myself that I can still do it and go out on a high note.”

At the 2023 Games, Jourdan captured gold with 610 points in the 14-15 age group, 20 clear of the runner-up.

Jourdan qualified for this year’s games with just minimal training. Qualifying takes place in three stages – the CrossFit Open, quarterfinals and semifinals, with only 30 individuals from each gender and age group moving on to the CrossFit Games.

Heading into next week’s Games, Jourdan will have just over two months of consistent training under his belt.

“I’m feeling good,” Jourdan said. “A little banged up here and there doing the training and with football practices, but I’m fine.”

Nobody is more ecstatic about Jourdan’s return to the sport than Figueroa, who is also learning to balance the youngster’s workload.

“Admittedly, it was hard when he said he wanted to step back,” Figueroa said. “It’s just because he's so good at what he does. And everybody says this, everyone wishes they could kind of do what he does and be as good as he is. Anyone who's involved across the community and sees what this guy's capable of, they are just in awe.

“As a coach, that's part of my learning experience, too: Learning to balance. That’s what we’re taking into this year, trying to manage him doing not only CrossFit, but football and programming around that, while also allowing him to also have some freedom.”

Like Jourdan, Figueroa has also experienced his fair share of change over the last two years. He quickly outgrew his gym, CrossFit Turlock located behind the local movie theater, and moved his operations to a massive warehouse in Ceres, rebranding to Central Valley CrossFit.

“We made the move last June, so it’s right at a year now, which is crazy to think about, because I never really imagined leaving Turlock, but this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. It’s just a part of growing, having about 150 people in our gym now,” Figueroa said.

Over the years, Figueroa has tailored his training style to accommodate and teach other coaches. From his past experience coaching Jourdan to the Games in 2023, he has also learned to balance the workload for competitive clients.

“That was a big thing we learned, is that maybe we did a bit too much leading up to the CrossFit Games, just based on talking to the other qualifiers and their coaches. And that’s huge, making sure to not burn out and maintain your health.”

Camp for the CrossFit Games currently includes a focus on conditioning, upper-body strength and posture.

“It’s just getting his lungs back, doing a lot of running, doing a lot of rowing, a lot of mixed running and rowing, skiing, biking. We’re putting in all the necessary work to chase down this second world title,” Figueroa said.

Jourdan is ultra-confident in his preparation, especially having already experienced the national stage once.

“Knowing what to expect there helps a lot,” Jourdan said. “It’s a lot of eyes on you, a big stage, but I loved it. It’s really cool.”

This year’s CrossFit Games will be livestreamed on YouTube on the official @CrossFitGamesTV channel.