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Beijing Winter Olympics 2022
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Tia-Clair Toomey wins her fifth CrossFit Games title, while learning a completely new sport in time for the Winter Olympics. Photo: CrossFit Games

CrossFit’s Tia-Clair Toomey qualifies for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics bobsleigh – ‘we did it!’

  • Australia’s five-time ‘Fittest Woman on Earth’ masters a brand new sport in time for the Games
  • Toomey has also won weightlifting gold at Commonwealth Games, and competed in Summer Olympics

Tia-Clair Toomey has qualified to represent Australia at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in the bobsleigh with her teammate Ashleigh Warner, pending an official announcement.

The 28-year-old Toomey is a five-time “Fittest Woman on Earth”. Such has been her dominance at the CrossFit Games, her rivals have all been competing for second place.

“I’m super excited to announce this very special moment, anyone who has followed my journey knows how incredibly important representing Australia is to both Shane [Orr, her husband] and I, so this one means a lot,” she posted on Instagram.

Toomey has already won gold in weightlifting – a key component of CrossFit – at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and represented Australia at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

 

Despite her clear athletic prowess, it still came as a surprise when she said in December 2020 that she had started a completely new sport, with the aim of qualifying for Beijing.

In the meantime, she picked up her fifth CrossFit Games title last summer, and spent her winters learning to bobsleigh in South Korea. And now it has all paid off.

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“Yesterday the IBSF [International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation] announced the qualified quota spots for the nations around the world and …. WE DID IT!,” Toomey wrote. “Ash and I qualified Australia for a spot at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

“This was an incredible two year journey filled with fierce competition, what seems like a lifetime worth of learning and a lot of sacrifice, all amid the uncertain times we’re living in.

Australia’s Ashleigh Werner and Tia-Clair Toomey in action at the Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Cup in Latvia on January 2, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Ints Kalnins

“Overcoming these challenges to achieve this feat makes us even prouder of the outcome. But we couldn’t have done it alone.

“I would like to thank Rogue Fitness [sic] for all their support throughout our season. It has been an incredible journey, we couldn’t have done it without their help.”

She added: “Now we wait for the team to officially be announced.”

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