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The 2017 CrossFit Invitational Teams

We all anxiously await November 5th, when the Reebok CrossFit Invitational — what they call the “all-star game” — will come to Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The fittest men and women from around the globe will come together in teams and once again bring the action to the competition floor.

CrossFit knows how much we love being held in suspense, but we now know who will be representing the four regions — and you won’t be disappointed.

Canada: Alessandra Pichelli, Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault, Brent Fikowski and Patrick Vellner will form a team coached by former Games champion Camille Leblanc-Bazinet.

Europe: Bjorgvin Gudmundsson, Sara Sigmundsdottir, Annie Thorisdottir and Jason Smith will come together to compete as a team for the first time. They will be coached by Samantha Briggs.

USA: Coached by Adam Neiffer, Tennil Reed-Beuerlein, Kari Pearce, Scott Panchik and Noah Ohlsen will represent the USA.

Pacific: Rob Forte, James Newbury (who will also coach), second fittest woman on earth Kara Webb, and Fittest Woman on Earth Tia-Clair Toomey are ready to represent on home soil.

Stay tuned as we release updates!

Main image: CrossFit/YouTube

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The Fittest Woman on Earth Got Hitched and Didn’t Tell a Soul

She topped the podium. She took home the grand prize. She’s a source of inspiration for athletes the world round. And now, she’s a married woman. Tia-Clair Toomey said “I do” to her now-husband (and coach) this past weekend, and nobody had even the slightest clue it was happening.

Toomey and Shane Orr swapped vows in front of friends and family at the top-secret ceremony, where the athlete traded in her traditional gym gear for a beautiful gown. The CrossFit superstar shared pictures of the memorable evening, exchanging a sweet kiss with her husband, dancing the night away and staying warm by the fire.

Although we’re slightly offended we weren’t invited (kidding!), we’re so happy to see these two lovebirds in such a sweet moment. Congratulations, you two, and here’s to a long and wonderful marriage.

A post shared by Tia-Clair Toomey (@tiaclair1) on

A post shared by Tia-Clair Toomey (@tiaclair1) on

A post shared by Tia-Clair Toomey (@tiaclair1) on

Main image: Tia-Clair Toomey/Facebook (photo taken by Michael Coppola)

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Tia-Clair Toomey Brings Home Medal at Weightlifting Championships

Tia-Clair Toomey is no stranger to podiums. After being crowned the fittest on earth at this year’s CrossFit Games, she finished on the podium once again – this time, coming in third at the 2017 Commonwealth and Oceania Weightlifting Championships.

Competing as a 58kg lifter, Toomey finished with a 75kg snatch and a 102kg clean and jerk, totaling in at 177kg. Fellow Australian Erika Yamasaki took second place with her 180kg total, and Jenly Wini of the Soloman Islands grabbed first, with an impressive 196kg total.

The event served as a qualifying competition for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, which takes place next April. While Wini secured her spot, both Toomey and Yamasaki will need to compete again to qualify.

Toomey has long been a fan favorite — quiet, determined, slowly but surely climbing to the top. Never one to be too flashy, she’s put the work in year after year. In both 2015 and 2016, she came in second at the Games; and fans hoped she’d soon have her well-earned turn at the top of the podium. This year, she finally did, beating out Kara Webb by a mere two points. But it was all she needed to be named the fittest woman in the world.

Watching her train and compete, it’s easy to forget that Toomey only started CrossFit in 2013, and it was to improve her running! As CrossFit does for many, though, it made her fall in love. These days, Toomey is accomplished in both CrossFit and Olympic lifting, and the leaderboard proves it.

Toomey will have another opportunity to qualify for the 2018 Commonwealth Games later on in December, at which point she will undoubtedly remind us of the incredible athlete she is.

Image: Tia-Clair Toomey/Instagram
Main image: Tia-Clair Toomey/Facebook

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Australians Dominate The Women’s Podium

It all came down to .19 seconds and what an incredible finish it was! Only six points separated the Top 2 Australian women going into the final event, but it was Tia-Clair Toomey that landed at top of the podium. Two points behind her was Kara Webb and the final event of the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games might have been the most wild finish in Games history.

As if it wasn’t impressive enough that Toomey was the first athlete to compete in both the CrossFit Games and The Olympics in the same year, she decided to one up herself. Throughout the entire weekend, Toomey was hard to miss as she wore the white and red leader’s jersey for a good majority of it. In fact, she never found herself outside of the top 2. In the final event, she needed to do one thing to comfortably win the most coveted title in CrossFit: beat Kara Webb.

photo: CrossFit Games

Toomey had one step left in her overhead walking lunge, Webb hot on her heels, and she failed to lockout resulting in a no rep. This opened the door for Webb to get to the finish line a split second before her. Now, it really was any woman’s game. The math had to be calculated to determine the winner and after what probably felt like the longest minutes of her life, it was Tia-Clair Toomey who was crowned The Fittest on Earth, replacing two-time defending champion, Katrin Davidsdottir. For the first time in CrossFit Games history, Australia earned it’s first CrossFit Games title.

Then there was Kara Webb. The five time CrossFit Games athlete had never stepped foot onto the podium, but this year that all changed. It was a hard earned fight for Webb who needed seven consecutive top 10 finishes going into Event 7. She used the momentum for her win, which was originally given to Alessandra Pichelli until an error was discovered, in the 1RM Snatch event to do just that including her second event win right after that. Webb didn’t plan to leave Madison without a medal around her neck. It was a showdown through the final event and we couldn’t have written her story any better.

photo: CrossFit Games

On the final step of the podium was a familiar name. One of the Dottir’s from Iceland who’s name we haven’t seen in the top three of the leaderboard since 2014. Australia may have replaced Iceland at the top, but Annie Thorisdottir wasn’t going to let her country go unnoticed. She had a legacy to uphold and she accepted the challenge. Thorisdottir earned herself a top five finish in all but four events, giving her the edge and the podium position over Sara Sigmundsdottir.

photo: CrossFit Games

By Katie Ferraro

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Anything Can Happen: Day 3 Recap

There days down, one to go. Anything can happen.

Event after event, the leaderboard has been turned on it’s head as athletes battled through a day of heavy lifting. It all started with Strongman’s Fear where athletes were given three heavy objects to move across the field in any order they wanted. The caveat? In order to get to each element, they had to walk…on their hands. It is The CrossFit Games, after all.

photo: CrossFit Games

The women’s side saw a new name at the top of the leaderboard in the middle of the day and three way tie going into the third and final event for the day, but it was Tia-Clair Toomey back on top at the close of Day 3. While two time reigning champ Katrin Davidsdottir is over 100 points away, it’s a tight race at the top. Behind Toomey is Kara Webb who secured herself yet another event win in Heavy 17.5, her third event win for the weekend. Sara Sigmundsdottir, Annie Thorisdottir, and Tennil Reed-Beuerlein sit third through fifth with 20 points or less between each position. Tomorrow is going to be wild.

For the men, Mat Fraser has proven to be virtually unstoppable ending his Day 3 with two back-to-back event wins, increasing his lead to 174 points. Trailing behind him is Noah Ohlsen, who moved from the fourth place spot at the beginning of the day, to second place to close out the day. Ohlsen, in his fourth Games appearance is hungry for his first spot on the podium. He has never placed higher than 8th on the big stage.

photo: CrossFit Games

Speaking of hungry, Brent Fikowski will begin the final day of competition in third place. Last year, he narrowly missed the podium in his rookie season after being edged out by fellow countryman Patrick Vellner. Then, there is Ricky Garard, the rookie from Australia who has also made an impressive rookie debut sitting right behind Fikowski in fourth. Only 44 points are separating second through fourth.

However, none of these men are safe, especially with Games veteran Scott Panchik in contention, rounding out the top 5. Panchik has experience, six years of Games experience if you count 2017, and his worst finish is 6th place. He’s never made it on the podium, either. Over the past three days, he’s made a slow, quiet assent up the leaderboard and is definitely going to be an athlete to watch during the final day of competition for the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games.

Looking across the leaderboards for both the Individual Men and Women, something to take notice of are the diversity in the standings. Between the two fields, there are over six countries represented. The most in Games history.

photo: CrossFit Games

The Teams kicked off Day 3 with Big Bob. The event was a silent killer as teams first had to pull the six man sled, totaling 1135lbs, 150 feet, just to turn around and push it back. It was a quick burn as almost every team completed the event in under two minutes. That was just the first event.

Following Bob was “Couple Couplets” which featured synchronized bar muscle-ups, GHD sit-ups, calories on the Assault Bike, and partner deadlifts. The final event, like the strongman event for the individuals, empowered teams to choose their own order and the exercise best suited for each pair. The pairings were the bookends of worm cleans.

Wasatch CrossFit chose wisely as they earned themselves their second event win of the day, positioning them 60 points ahead of defending Affiliate Cup Champs, CrossFit Mayhem. Over 100 points behind them is CrossFit Fort Vancouver, one of the only teams to compete in the Affiliate Cup since it’s inception nine years ago. Reebok CrossFit One and CrossFit Milford sit fourth and fifth. Will the Wasatch Brutes be able to hold off Rich Froning and Team Mayhem? You’ll have to watch to find out.

Check out our viewing guide for the schedule of events and how to watch here.

By Katie Ferraro

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Shaken Up: Day 2 Recap

One thing is for certain, The CrossFit Games are not in California anymore. The move to the Midwest brought a whole new list of opportunities, but also some new challenges, some of which people may not have expected. Amongst the most challenging is probably Mother Nature as Day 2 started in the cool, crispy mid 50’s with rain layering the O-Course, increasing difficulty to the elements as athletes fought for qualifying spots.

After the Teams and Individual athletes cleared the course completing Event 4, they headed into the Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center for Teams to test their 1RM Clean and Jerk and the Individual Men and Women to test their 1RM Snatch.

photo: CrossFit

For the Teams, each male and female trio lifted their weight individually with the totals being combined once each 1RM was established. Each trio counted for one event, making it a total of two events for the day. Notable trios were the men of CrossFit 417 of Missouri with a total combined weight of 1054lbs giving them an Event 5 win. And for the ladies, it was the trio from Salt Lake City CrossFit with a total weight lifted of 698lbs.

When this event concluded, the next event was announced and appropriately named “Rowing Worm.” Each team had six rowers on the floor which the men rowed 40 calories and the ladies rowed 30 calories each, simultaneously. They would then move onto the first worm of the competition, a new addition, weighing in at 555lbs as opposed to the traditional 465lb worm, which they were tasked to complete 30 squats as a team. This event was 3 rounds for time. Wasatch CrossFit took the event win which catapulted them to the top of the leaderboard heading into Day 3. However, CrossFit Mayhem made some moves putting them hot on their tail with only 24 points separating the teams. CrossFit Milford, CrossFit Invictus, and 12 Labours CrossFit close out the top 5.

The 1RM Snatch event is where things got interesting. With many heavy lifters in both the male and female fields waiting for their moment to shine, it was expected to see a shakeup in the leaderboard. All athletes had two rounds of 20 seconds to establish their 1RM Snatch with the Top 10 earning two additional attempts. It set the stage for big numbers, PRs, and one great event to watch.

Garrett Fisher of CrossFit Invictus showed the men how it’s done with a huge 305lb lift, earning himself an event win. For the ladies, Alessandra Pichelli was crowed the winner at 207lbs, but after it was discovered her bar was unevenly loaded with only 197lbs on her barbell (alas, still an impressive save), Kara Webb with a 203lb lift was named the winner. Her barbell was just one pound heavier than fellow Australian and points leader going into Event 5, Tia-Clair Toomey. Webb went onto claim the first back to back event wins for this year’s Games in Event 6, Triple G Chipper.

photo: CrossFit

After three events were in the books, Dave Castro dropped the bomb that the fourth and final event of the day would be bringing back another odd object and non-traditional CrossFit element from 2012, The Banger. Going into the event, Toomey and Webb were leading the field, but that all changed after the Assault Banger event. Toomey fell to second place and Webb to fourth. It’s Sara Sigmundsdottir that will lead the pack for the first time this weekend with 524 points heading into Day 3. However, as we’ve seen over the past two days, it’s still any lady’s game with only 20 points separating the Top 5 Women.

For the men, even after logging his worst finish out of seven events (20th) to end Day 2, reigning champ Mat Fraser still sits comfortably at the top of the Men’s Leaderboard. However, Ricky Garard, the 23 year old from Australia, has stealthily made moves to claim the second place spot, just 68 points behind Fraser. The top five is rounded out by Brent Fikowski in 3rd, Noah Ohlsen in 4th, and Jonne Koski falling to 5th.

photo: CrossFit

Day 3 will begin with the teams at 8am CST/11pm AEST, followed by the Individuals at 9am CST/12am AEST. Ladies and gentlemen, we have an exciting competition on our hands and you aren’t going to want to miss it!

For full schedule and events, be sure to check out our viewing guide.

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Tia-Clair Toomey: Training To Win

Tia-Clair Toomey is not your average 23 year old. Hitting the CrossFit world by storm in 2015, she earned herself a second place finish in her first Games appearance and was also honored as Rookie of the Year. While she certainly hit the ground running, she had no plans of slowing down going into 2016. Not only did Toomey finish her second CrossFit Games with another silver medal around her neck, but then went on to make her Olympic dreams a reality, not even a month later.

Shane Orr

photo: Shane Orr

Originally, Toomey had planned to be an Olympic Track and Field athlete, but life and weightlifting had another plan for her. She wasn’t just representing Australia at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as the country’s top-ranked female weightlifter, but also the first athlete to compete in both the Olympics and the CrossFit Games in the same year. Heading into her third appearance at the CrossFit Games, Toomey has big shoes to fill—her own.

We had the opportunity to catch up with Toomey after she qualified for the Pacific Regional in second place for Australia behind her Invitational teammate and Australian counterpart Kara Webb. Meet Tia at the Fitness Show this weekend, April 28-30 at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney. For more information please visit: www.fitness-show.com.au.

Instagram.com:tiaclair1

photo: www.instagram.com/tiaclair1

Katie: In 2016, you were the first athlete to compete in the CrossFit Games and the Olympics in the same year. How did you mentally prepare and what was the recovery process like?

Tia-Clair: It’s something you train for all year round and dedicate your life to so when it comes to game day you are ready for anything thrown your way.

K: So far you have achieved massive success in your CrossFit career in just a few years. Did you feel like your past successes added more pressure on you going into this season? How did it affect your training for this year?

TC: To some extent yes but it wasn’t because I was worried about what other people were saying it was because I wanted to prove to myself that it wasn’t a fluke. I feel like it motivated me so much more as I knew I had to train really hard and be prepared for everything.

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photo: www.instagram.com/tiaclair1

K: When you first started CrossFit you weren’t to fond of it, yet you still pursued it. What caused your shift and what is your favourite part of CrossFit now?

TC: I would have to say the friends that I made through it, CrossFit allowed me to meet new people and stay active at the same time and in that point in my life that’s all I wanted as I had just recently moved to Gladstone where Shane [Orr] and I didn’t have any friends or family. My favourite part is being able to do what I love everyday and getting to travel around the world.

K: What does a typical training day look like for you while preparing for the CrossFit Games?

TC: Not every day is the same but my favourite days are getting up to coach the morning classes then having breakfast with Shane at a small cafe in Tannum (20mins away from Gladstone) near the beach. Then going to the gym to do some weightlifting and gymnastic skill for about two hours. I’ll then go home and play with the dogs before I go back in the afternoon and do a couple of Metcons and if it has been a good day of training we will go to the movies.

Preston Smith Photography

photo: Preston Smith Photography

K: Your background being in track and field, how does training for CrossFit compare to training for a race?

TC: Quite different as everyday at the track is the almost the same but CrossFit has so much variety everyday is very different.

K: What has been your biggest challenge as an athlete? How did that challenge elevate your drive?

TC: So far my biggest challenge was coming 2nd at the 2016 CrossFit Games for the 2nd year in a row. So far throughout training I’m constantly asking myself, ‘is this enough to win The Games and I’m yet to see if the hard work will pay off?’.

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photo: www.instagram.com/tiaclair1

K: Who has been your biggest influence as a CrossFit athlete and what has been the biggest piece of wisdom they have offered you?

 

TC: Chad Mackay and Denae Brown are my biggest influences. They are always display good sportsmanship and always have time for everyone.

K: What is your best advice for aspiring Games athletes? 

TC: To enjoy the journey, work hard and do your best. That’s all you can ask for, you never want to put yourself under too much pressure.

Connect with Tia on Instagram @tiaclair1

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Your 2016 CrossFit Invitational Pacific Team

CrossFit Invitational Team Pacific

The 2016 Reebok CrossFit Invitational kicks off this Sunday in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada and one thing is for certain, there won’t be a shortage of powerful athletes. In similar format to the Olympics, four teams have been assembled by country or region to go head to head for the gold. However, each athlete competing was chosen by The CrossFit Games staff and invited to throw down in this team competition.

Each athlete invited has trained their way to being one of the fittest men or women in the world and have competed in individual competition at The CrossFit Games. A interesting element is each team is coached by a fellow CrossFit Games athlete who is also invited to join the team.

In years past, the Pacific Team has never finished higher than 3rd place out of four teams. The 2016 Pacific Team is loaded with CrossFit Games veterans but are joined by some newer names with impressive showings at this year’s Games. Could this be the year the Pacific Team brings home the gold?

Meet Your 2016 CrossFit Games Invitational Pacific Team

Tia-Clair Toomey

Toomey burst on the scene as a Games rookie in 2015 and earned herself a podium position, finishing in 2nd place. Coming back in 2016, she showed incredible athleticism by not only repeating a 2nd place finish at the Games, but then represented Australia in Weightlifting at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. This is her second year representing the Pacific at the Invitational.

Rob Forte

Forte is a household name in the CrossFit world. This 6x Games competitor has an impressive resume chalked full of certifications from CrossFit and beyond. In 2015, Forte was the coach for the Pacific Team at the Invitational in Madrid, Spain, but this year, he will join his team in the trenches as an athlete.

Kara Webb

In 2014, we saw Webb compete for the Pacific Team at the Invitational and after her 7th place finish at the 2016 CrossFit Games, she’s back! Earning the honor of Spirit of The Games this year, she’s bringing her integrity, heart, and determination to the floor in Canada. No stranger to competition, Webb is 4x CrossFit Games veteran.

James Newbury

At the 2016 CrossFit Games, Newbury made his rookie debut, finishing in 24th place. His performance at the Games earned him a spot to representing the Pacific Team in Canada, where he will make his second rookie CrossFit debut in 2016.

Chad Mackay (coach)

While retired from individual competition, Mackay has appeared at the CrossFit Games four times, beginning in 2010. He was also the Pacific Team coach at the 2014 Invitational and is a coach at CrossFit Active.

Joining Team Canada will be athletes from the United States, Canada, and Europe. Ben Smith, Brooke Wells, Mathew Fraser, and Kari Pearce will represent Team USA coached by Rich Froning. For Team Canada, Brent Fikowski, Michele Letendre, Patrick Vellner, Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault will take the floor, coached by Camille Leblanc-Bazinet. And finally, for Europe Lukas Högberg, Sara Sigmundsdottir, Björgvin Karl Guðmundsson, Katrin Davidsdottir will represent their region, lead by Sam Briggs.

Want to watch?

Where: Coverage will be streamed at games.crossfit.com and on YouTube.

When: 20th November (USA) or 21st November (Australia)

Time: 4:00 PM Sunday, US Eastern Time (ET) is 8:00 AM Monday, in Sydney NSW, Australia

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Internet Blows Up with Support for Tia-Clair Toomey

Tia-Clair Toomey

Internet Blows Up with Support for Tia-Clair Toomey

After competing in both the Olympic Games and the CrossFit Games in less than 30 days, you could suggest that any particular athlete achieving such an endeavour is World Class. That athlete is Australia’s Tia-Clair Toomey.

Tia-Clair exploded on the scene in 2015 after qualifying for her first CrossFit Games, finishing on the podium in second place and awarded rookie of the year. Proving that her rookie performance was not a fluke, Toomey qualified again in 2016 and claimed second place once again, behind back to back champion Katrin Davidsdottir. Achieving such a milestone in one of the most fiercely competitive sports on earth was nothing short of phenomenal.

Tia Clair Toomey on the Platform

Fast forward several weeks and Toomey is on the platform at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio De Janiero, representing Australia in Women’s Weightlifting. Toomey qualified to be one of a select few to represent Australia in Weightlifting despite only being in the sport for a few short years. Despite recognising that her personal best lifts (in the snatch and clean and jerk) were 50kgs less than the Olympic Record, Tia-Clair deserved her spot and was set to represent the green and gold with pride.

Toomey finished 14th overall, with a total of 189kg Total (82kg Snatch / 107kg Clean & Jerk). The support for Tia-Clair was overwhelming, Australian’s waking up in the early hours of the morning to catch a glimpse of her lifts and will her in pursuit of her dreams in the green and gold.

One thing Australia is known for is the tall poppy syndrome. It didn’t take long for this to surface. One journalist in Australia decided to take it upon himself to critise the achievements of Toomey. Roy Masters, former Rugby League player turned journalist for the Sydney Morning Herald released this article after Toomey finished 14th in the 58kg Women’s Category for Weightlifting.

The 23-year-old came second at the World CrossFit Games this year but clearly all that exercise, including bizarre events such as handstand walking, ocean swimming and “suicide sprinting” does not prepare a woman for the snatch and the clean and jerk of Olympic weightlifting.

Sure, Masters could be forgiven at the ripe old age of 74 that he has not been exposed to CrossFit. One of if not, the fastest growing strength and conditioning program throughout the world. Masters was rapid in his words to strike down the achievements of the Australian.

“second fittest woman in the world” but Australia’s Tia Toomey is only the 14th strongest, based on the results of weightlifting at the Rio Olympics … and that’s only in the 58kg class.”

Demonstrating an ignorance, laziness or simply a willingness to pen an article that would elicit a response from the readership. Masters could be accused of all of these, then some.

Khan Porter on Tia Clair Toomey

Fellow CrossFit Games veteran Khan Porter threw his weight behind Toomey, posting this on his facebook page. Porter called out Masters and the Sydney Morning Herald on their “atrocious journalism, biased and obviously driven by an anti CrossFit agenda.”

We will leave you with our final words, which could not be better said than those of Khan Porter:

Tia is an incredible athlete, AN OLYMPIAN and an awesome human being who has been able to qualify to represent her country in two sports.

Much Love Tia!

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CrossFit Comp – Torian Pro 2015 Highlights

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Torian Pro 2015 Highlights

The Torian Pro went down the 17th and 18th of October at CrossFit Torian, Brisbane.

The comp consisted of Open level Team events and Regionals level individual events.

Some big name attendees such as as second fittest woman in the world Tia-Clair Toomey and CrossFit Games 16-17 year female champion Isabella Vallejo competed along side Jackie Perez, CJ Walker, Royce Dunne and a stellar field of super fit humans.

Watch out for the stunning highlights reel below of the 2015 Torian Pro!

https://vimeo.com/143713578

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2015 CrossFit Invitational- The Pacific Team

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2015 CrossFit Invitational- The Pacific Team

CFHQ is slowly announcing the individuals who will combine to make up the teams of the 2015 CrossFit Invitational.

Each year, the CrossFit Invitational invites the most elite individual athletes from around the globe to prove their fitness as part of a team.

This year’s Pacific crew looks to be stacked with a Games veteran, 3 promising rookies, and a highly respectable coach.

Screenshot 2015-09-18 11.55.53

Pacific Team:

Benny Garard (@BennyGarard)
Kevin Manuel (@Kev_Manuel)
Tia Clair-Toomey (@TiaClair1)
Kara Webb (@KaraWebb1)

Head Coach:

Rob Forte (@Rob_Forte)

Dates for the Invitational have not been released yet, but be sure to check out the update show for more information on your Pacific Team:

Invitational Update Show: Pacific Team

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CrossFit Games Athlete Interview: Tia-Clair Toomey

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Games Athlete Interview : Tia-Clair Toomey

Quick Stats:

  • Age: 21
  • CrossFitting since 2013
  • 2 x Regionals Athlete (2014, 2015)
  • 15th fittest female in the world
  • Pacific Games Silver Medalist in Snatch CJ and Total
  • Commonwealth Games trials competitor
  • Would have placed 1st in the California, West, AND Central regions based off her placement in the Pacific

After an amazing performance at the CrossFit Games Pacific Regional we got a chance to chat with Tia-Clair Toomey from CrossFit Gladstone . Finishing out 7th place overall in the Open and 3rd overall at Regionals, TWL crew thinks that she will be a force to be reckoned with come late July.

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What’s your story? 

I was first introduced to CrossFit by my partner, Shane Orr. He was doing CrossFit to supplement his Rugby training and thought it would be right up my ally. I was training at the time for 400m hurdles and saw great benefit in it supplementing my training too.  All through school I had competed in athletics and at that stage I had zoned in on hurdles, training to compete at a national level. I had set my sights on representing my country, Australia, and hopefully moving on to compete on a international level in the near future.  At the end of 2014 the opportunity arose for me to become a director of CFG, the gym I was training out of. I jumped upon this as it allows me to continue to follow my pursuits in training and competing at a high level, but also a opportunity for me to give back to the CrossFit community in Gladstone who have supported me so much over the last few years. I enjoy being able coach, mentor and train with the guys there, they are like family to me. It also gave me a opportunity to launch weight lifting in Gladstone, of which I am very proud to be a part of.  I have a very supportive family that are constantly putting me before them, a boyfriend (Shane Orr), mum (Debbi) and dad (Brendon), two little sisters (Elle and Molly), they are the most important people in my life.

What have been your achievements so far?

As far as my achievments I competed in the Semper comp in 2013 which was held in Brisbane at CrossFit Axed. I won that comp and after that I then focused on individual comps and aimed for regionals 2014. Also after that comp I was picked up by Miles Wydall (Olympic and Commonwealth Games weightlifting coach). Since then I have competed at 2x CrossFit Regionals, 2014 and placed 18th and 2015 and placed 3rd. I also competed as a 58kg category at Commonwealth Games Trials (made Shadow team), National and International weightlifting comps (coming 1st at both). At the start of July 06/07/2015 I represented my country Australia and won the Silver medal in the 58kg category. I am now preparing myself for the 2015 CrossFit Games.

Can you give us an idea of what a typical training week consists of for you?

A typical training week for me would consist a lot of strength, conditioning and gymnastic strength/skill training. My training depends on how my body feels, I could go through a full with only 1 rest day or if my body is feeling really fatigue I could have 2-3 rest days. I think it’s extremely important to listen to the body when you training at elite levels.

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What foods do you eat a lot of in general? What foods do you avoid?

I try to eat as healthy as possible so my body has the best recovery; however, I love my chocolate which I like to reward myself after a good training session.

What is one thing you don’t want Castro to announce?

I’m not really worried about what Castro announces, it’s always going to be tough no matter what it is.

What movement do you hope Castro announces?

I hope he announces swimming, any type of heavy lifts.

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What’s after the Games for you?

After the games I’ll be training to be selected in the Australian Weightlifting team for Worlds which is held in Houston, TX.

What do you think contributed to your relatively fast success in CrossFit?

Weightlifting has defiantly made me stronger, but the passion for the sport has been a large influence.

What is the most impressive feat of strength you have accomplished to date?

Winning Silver in the 58kg at the Pacific Games for my Country.

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What is something that most people don’t know about you?

I have 2 beautiful dogs, Red staffy (Rhi Rhi), white Labrador (Sammy).

Who is your role model?

My parents are my role models, but when it come to being inspired it would be every elite athlete.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen someone do in the world of CrossFit?

The coolest thing would be seeing all the athletes at the Games putting their body under so much demand and be able to compete at top level through the whole competition. It’s incredible.

Where would you like to see CrossFit in the future?

Helping ordinary people in their everyday lives, with their well being and health.

Okay, you’re officially my hero. How was this all possible for you?

Besides the on going support from my partner and family,  this success wouldn’t have been possible without my coaches Miles Wydall and Drew Griffiths. Drew Griffith is my CrossFit coach that runs a CrossFit training program called CoachRX and Miles Wydall is my weightlifting coach that is an Olympic and Commonwealth Games Weightlifting coach (www.mwydall.com). I get coached by them through email as I live 6-8 hours away from them both. They work together with my partner Shane Orr (who is my trainer) to come up with the best program for me individually.

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Plug time!
I would also like to thank the support from my amazing sponsors Reebok Australia (@reebokau) and RXD Repair (@rxdrepair).

Tia, thanks so much for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to fill us (your fans) in, you’ve been a pleasure. We look forward to watching you rock the competition out in Carson!

Any readers can follow Tia on Instagram @tiaclair1, Facebook by searching Tia-Clair Toomey or Twitter @TiaToomey. You can also checkout CrossFit Gladstone on Instagram @crossfitgladstone and Facebook by searching Crossfit Gladstone  to follow any events they organise through the gym.