CrossFit Games

Toomey Dominates Day One at 2022 Torian Pro

May 20, 2022 by
Photo Credit: Wykie Etsebeth | @wykieetsebeth
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It’s become a cliche to say, but like her former training partner, Mat Fraser, there are three things certain in this life: “death, taxes and Tia-Clair Toomey.”

When the dust settled on day one of the Torian Pro Oceania Semifinal at the Pat Rafter Arena, the Australian Toomey held 200 points and couldn’t be in a better position as she eyes another run at the CrossFit Games and an unprecedented sixth title.

King Arthur and Kara

Event one, “King Arthur” featured the race that fans in Australia have been pining for as Toomey and Kara Saunders traded blows through the first half of the 20-minute chipper. After sets of 15 overhead squats, burpee box jump-overs, thrusters, power cleans and ring muscle-ups, the two athletes took off on the 1,500 meter run at the same time. 

Toomey picked up the pace and entered the arena 40 seconds ahead of Saunders to a massive roar from the crowd, before completing her second set of 15 ring muscle-ups unbroken. She methodically cycled through the barbell reps and burpees, crossing the finish line in 18:02, almost two minutes ahead of second-place Saunders at 19:43, putting 100 points in the bank.

Record-Breaking* in Event Two

Toomey smashed event two, “2014 Regionals Workout 5.” A big question has been how much would the scores improve after eight years of development, and the answer is “a lot.”

It’s important to note that Torian Pro (and Lowlands) changed this event slightly, where athletes do not have to move their own chess pieces as they did in 2014, which turns the run portion of the event effectively into a shuttle run, down-and-back at the same distance each round.

Like her former training partner, Mat Fraser, there are three things certain in this life: “death, taxes and Tia-Clair Toomey.”

Joe Genetin-Pilawa

All of that said, Toomey recorded a time of 3:32, which was :59 seconds faster than the world record in 2014 which was held by Samantha Briggs at 4:31, leaving her with 200 points for the day. Oh yeah, and the second-place finisher, Georgia Pryor recorded a time almost :30 slower at four minutes flat.

The bottom line: Anything can happen in sports, but barring a tragedy, Toomey is poised to cruise into one of the Games spots out of Torian Pro. The question remains, though, can she run the table? If day one is any indication, it is now a serious possibility. 

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