CrossFit Games 2020: Katrin Davidsdottir, Tia-Clair Toomey on staying hungry after ‘Fittest on Earth’ titles
- The two-time and three-time champions have no trouble staying motivated in striving for more titles
The last five “Fittest on Earth” titles belong to just two women, but neither will rest on their laurels when competing in the 2020 CrossFit Games finals this weekend.
Icelander Katrin Davidsdottir, champion in 2015 and 2016, and Australian Tia-Clair Toomey, champion in 2017-19, both draw their motivation from the sport and not the competition.
“The coolest thing about the sport is there’s always something to get better at,” said Davidsdottir. “You can be crowned ‘Fittest on Earth’ and you can come back and think, ‘All right, I’m going to get better at this, this and this.’
“That keeps us driving. I just want to keep filling in those buckets. And I still see so much potential and so much room for growth, whether it’s getting better at long distance running, sprinting, gymnastics or weight lifting. I don’t think we’ve hit our limit nearly yet.”
How to watch the CrossFit Games 2020 final – online and on TV
Toomey has been dominant in the past three years and dominated the leaderboard for substantial periods of all three of her title wins.
“The way that Tia raises the bar every year, and expects so much from us, that raises the sport too,” Davidsdottir said.
But it will not put Davidsdottir off pushing to claim her own third title.
“It’s just one of those things, regardless of where you finish, if you have a great year and are the Fittest on Earth those points don’t carry on to next year.”
CrossFit Games 2020 workouts released, with throwback to 2007
“Something that I’ve come to realise is appreciating just how good these girls are. I know how fit they are, I know how good they are, I know they are doing everything they can to get better and I want to rise to that and raise the bar for them too,” she said.
Likewise, Toomey is focused on her next title but it is not the competition victories that push her.
“We started this sport and this journey for ourselves,” Toomey said.
“Yes, we are so competitive within ourselves. But at the end of the day, we are trying to get better within ourselves and not just as athletes, but as individuals and people,” she said.
“That is motivation in itself and that’s what drives us and allows us to do what we do, and we do it really well.”
Toomey said at the heart of it all is the desire to continuously improve in a sport which requires athletes to constantly expand their fitness and skills.
“We do it because we love it and we want to get better,” she added.
