WEIGHTLIFTING: Having won silver two years running, Tia-Clair Toomey has been crowned the Fittest Woman in the World at the 2017 CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.

After a grueling obstacle course, a run-swim-run event, a strong man challenge, a cyclocross event and various CrossFit style workouts and weightlifting events, Toomey took the title with a total of 994 points, only defeating fellow Australian Kara Webb by a mere 2 points.

Former two-time CrossFit Games Champion (2011 and 2012) Annie Thorisdottir from Iceland rounded out the podium in third place.

24-year-old Toomey is still coming to terms with the victory, a goal she has been aiming for for several years.

“There were so many emotions that ran through my mind,” said the Rio 2016 weightlifter.

“From disbelief to so much relief as this was something my fiancé Shane Orr and I had set together in 2015 and I finally achieved it after so much hard work and dedication.

“It's an incredible achievement and is still sinking in.”

Toomey placed 14th in the 59kg category at Rio and is the only person to have competed at a CrossFit Games and an Olympic Games in the same year.

The local from Gladestone, QLD, said she has learnt from her experiences at the two previous CrossFit Games and from her Olympic debut, to become the athlete she needed to be to take the win in Madison.

“Over the past two years I have learnt a lot about myself as an athlete and person and every year I train hard and every year I become more confident in my ability,” she said.

“This year I went into the CrossFit Games with a lot more confidence and embraced the journey rather then become overwhelmed by the experiences.

“I think becoming a world champ in your given sport is so satisfying and one of the most rewarding experiences of your life as there is so much time and effort that goes into training to become a world champion.”

Toomey possesses the rare ability to excel in the unpredictable world of CrossFit, and the precise, rehearsed realm of Olympic weightlifting.

High Performance Coordinator at the Australian Weightlifting Federation, Brendan Kennedy, said Toomey is one-of-a-kind athlete.

“Tia is a phenomenal athlete; people like her don’t come along every day,” Kennedy said.

“An athlete like Usain Bolt doesn’t come along every day, and people like that have something about them that allows them to stand out, and Tia has that.

“She has personal characteristics like mental toughness and resilience to endure the workouts she does, coupled with a phenomenal genetic ability to be able to maintain strength and do everything else.

“She’s a phenomenal athlete and works very hard and has achieved some incredible things.”

“Training for both sports takes a lot of hard work and fine tuning,” Toomey said on how she balances her passion for CrossFit and Weightlifting.

“But Shane (my coach and fiancé) programs and coaches me appropriately so I am covering all required fitness and strength components.”

Next up for Toomey will be the Oceania and Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships on the Gold Coast in early September.

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au