On Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2022, six-time CrossFit Games women’s champion Tia-Clair Toomey announced that she and her husband, Shane Orr, are expecting their first child together. As a result, she will not be competing in the 2023 competitive season.
“We are extremely excited to share, WE’RE PREGNANT! This has been the greatest surprise and significantly special to share with family and friends while being home in Australia for Christmas,” Toomey wrote in the caption of her Instagram post. “This will definitely be a Christmas for us all to remember.”
Along with posts on social media, the expecting parents also shared a video with the announcement on their YouTube channel, which you can see below.
While Toomey focuses on her growing family, this means that the CrossFit Games podium will be an unfamiliar site in 2023. Toomey had made the podium every year she’s competed since 2015, starting with two second-place finishes in 2015 and 2016. She then amassed her incredible run of six straight championships from 2017 to 2022. She is considered by many in the CrossFit community to be the greatest individual competitor of all-time. She could also be regarded as one of the most popular female athletes in all of strength sports.
The 2023 Games’ podium will be the first that Toomey isn’t standing on since 2014. The champion that year was Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, with Annie Thorisdottir and Julie Foucher joining her in second and third, respectively. Since the Games began in 2007, only nine women have won the title of “Fittest on Earth”. Those champions are listed below.
2007: Jolie Gentry
2008: Caity Matter
2009: Tanya Wagner
2010: Kristan Clever
2011-2012: Annie Thorisdottir
2013: Samantha Briggs
2014: Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
2015-2016: Katrin Davidsdottir
2017-2022: Tia-Clair Toomey
If Thorisdottir and Davidsdottir should compete in the 2023 Games, they could potentially be the first individual champions to regain the title after losing it. If they don’t, and Toomey chooses to return to competition in 2024 or later, she could potentially be the first to reclaim the title, adding to her already incredible track record in the sport.
Among those that could be considered top contenders for the title in 2023 now that Toomey is out of the field include former two-time Games’ runner-up (2018, 2121) Laura Horvath, who finished in third in 2022, and the 2022 second-place finisher, Mallory O’Brien.
Featured Image: @tiaclair1 / Instagram
