Years of training at a professional level and experience in dealing with big competitions are often touted as the route to success in CrossFit. But neither apply to Haley Adams, nor can they, given she is just 19 years old. And yet, this weekend she is going toe-to-toe with the best athletes in the sport. The CrossFit Games 2020 final is made up of five men and five women, whittled down from 30 each in a remote first leg held in September . Adams comfortably secured her spot by coming third, behind three-time champion Tia-Clair Toomey, 27, and five-time Games athlete Brooke Wells, 25. Adams was ahead of two-time champion Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir , 27, and five-time Games athlete Kari Pearce , 31. Brooke Wells set for highest CrossFit Games finish Adams made her senior debut at the CrossFit Games in 2019 and took everyone by surprise by finishing sixth. Winning the 16-17-year-old competition in 2018 was impressive, but to make the jump so seamlessly to adult competition was remarkable. The feat earned her Rookie of the Year. Finishing sixth last year and making the final this year is even more mind-blowing when you consider she balances her training with life as a student at Tennessee Tech University, where she studies biology and human science. But the choice of higher education is no coincidence. The campus is 10 minutes from the famous CrossFit Mayhem gym. The gym is owned by four-time CrossFit Games champion Rich Froning. Since he has turned his attention to team competitions, Mayhem has won four of the last five Games team titles, coming second in 2017. With Froning at the helm and other team medallists surrounding Adams, she is in great hands and it is no surprise her natural talent has been nurtured so quickly. Can Katrin Davidsdottir beat Tia-Clair Toomey? “I probably wouldn’t have even made it [to the 2019 Games without Mayhem]. It’s just a different environment. It definitely made me way fitter. People push me every day,” she said after her Rookie of the Year award. Adams grew up in North Carolina, where she took part in a range of sports. In particular, she focused on gymnastics, according to an article by Tennessee Tech. When she was 14, Adams tried CrossFit for the first time and has never looked back. “I love that it’s constantly varied,” she said. “It’s something new every day. I’m constantly challenging myself. It never gets easier. It always keeps me wanting to work hard.” View this post on Instagram FINAL COUNTDOWN! ⚡️ #10days @crossfitgames A post shared by Haley Adams (@haleyadamssss) on Oct 12, 2020 at 12:37pm PDT She added that her studies marry well with her sporting interest: “I know that if I decide to go into the medical field or something in nutrition, [biology] will help me.” Adams ability in competition is not matched in her two Open finishes. The Open is competed online, where each week athletes film themselves completing a set workout. They can have as many goes as they wish, so long as they have submitted their score by week’s end. Adams finished 32nd in 2019 and 2020 – respectable, but a bit disconnected from her sixth place in 2019 at the Games and making the final this year. With that in mind, it is a surprise that she made the final at all, given the remote format of the first leg mirrored the Open more than the Games. Or perhaps it is just a signal that even within a few months, Adams is learning and improving at a rapid rate. If the latter is true she could be crowned Fittest on Earth. If 2020 is too soon, then surely one day the title will be hers.
