CrossFit Games: former boxer punches ticket to main event as first female national champion from Canada

Growing up in Quebec City, Carol-Ann Reason-Thibault took to sports like a fish to water. She played hockey, football, basketball and boxed growing up. She developed a penchant for the latter, however, by 2012, while still in her early 20s, found the gruelling and punishing sport of pugilism was wearing thin.

“I lost a competition and I needed to take a step back from boxing,” said Reason-Thibault, 31, who has a younger sibling who then opened another athletic door. “My little sister was doing CrossFit and asked me to come with her. I was hooked my first time. I’ve never stopped since then. What I loved at first about CrossFit was the way I could push myself, I’m a competitive person and I’ve always loved working hard.”

Reason-Thibault has definitely proven she has a tireless work ethic. The French-Canadian, who stands 1.65m tall and weighs around 65kg, first broke through a year after picking up the sport in 2013 at the Canada East CrossFit Regionals, placing 26th. Then two years later, she would make her first CrossFit Games appearance, finishing 27th in the world.

She has yet to miss a Games since then and came 19th at the 2018 CrossFit Games. This year, Reason-Thibault will add another impressive notch to her belt as she becomes the first female national champion to represent Canada at the Games from August 1-4 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Reason-Thibault destroyed the field at the 2019 CrossFit Open, which along with 28 sanctionals have replaced regionals as the way to qualify for the Games. She came 10th in the world and said switching from training for regionals to the Open was fairly smooth.

“I think I did well at the CrossFit Open because it is pure CrossFit,” said Reason-Thibault, who came 16th at the Open in 2018. “This is what I trained for all year.”