The Titan Games 2020 Results: Noah Palicia, Margaux Alvarez Shine on Mt. Olympus

With another episode of The Titan Games in the books, Noah Palicia and Margaux Alvarez are standing tall as the Titans in the West.

The region opened with Victor Cruz and Jessie Graff as the respective Titans in the men's and women's division. Neither one was able to defend the title on Mount Olympus, however, so they made a quick exit.

That meant Palicia and Kelly Valdez took center stage Monday to determine whether they'd meet the same fate as Cruz and Graff.

Exodus Rogers defeated Mitch Harrison in Launch Pad and Over the Edge to earn the right to challenge Palicia on Mount Olympus.

Rogers was running closely behind Palicia before he was yet another victim of the Ball and Chain. He struggled to move the 250-pound object and took a hard fall as he approached the Titan Tomb. Although he began to hammer away at the Tomb to retrieve the Titan Relic, Palicia obtained the Relic first and inserted it into the podium for the victory.

Harrison's night ended quicker than he had hoped, but he made a statement simply by competing as a transgender athlete in front of a national audience. The show detailed his journey and the difficulties he faced during his transition.

"I'm hoping this is the door that I would love for this opportunity to open and helps open more up to this discussion and how can we allow more trans people to progress of sports," Harrison said of his participation in the show, per Outsports' Karleigh Webb. "I think it would be such honor to perhaps change somebody’s mind and now they are actually open to this discussion."

The women's competition could be termed something of an upset based on how dominant Alvarez looked.

Alvarez bested Kelly Stone in Nuts and Bolts and Lunar Impact for the opportunity to meet Valdez on Mount Olympus.

In toppling Graff, Valdez had displayed a potent combination of speed and strength that would seemingly make her an imposing foe. Yet her first Titan defense couldn't have gone much worse.

She quickly fell behind Alvarez, a gap that widened as the race unfolded. The problems began on the Log Lift as she couldn't get a firm grip on the obstacle before walking it up to its final resting place.

Valdez had to expend so much energy just to get within breathing room of Alvarez that she eventually ran out of gas midway through.

Perhaps Valdez can have a better showing in the West region finals, where she, Graff and one more challenger will vie for one more crack at the Titan crown.