CrossFit Games

Tia-Clair Toomey, Mayhem Freedom and CrossFit Reykjavik Run Tables at Semifinals

May 22, 2022 by
Photo Credit: Carlos Bown | @bownmedia
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While most of the action this weekend has focused around the cut lines in Australia, Amsterdam and Tennessee, fans witnessed domination at the top of leaderboards.

With six events and 600 points available at each event, Tia-Clair Toomey, CrossFit Mayhem Freedom, and CrossFit Reykjavik took them all. Something that we have not seen at a Sanctional or a Semifinal (probably not ever at Regionals either, but we’re digging for that one).

Tia Takes Torian by Storm

We’ve spilled a lot of ink about Toomey this weekend, but simply put, she’s making history every time she laces up her NOBULLs.

With six events wins in a row (and seven if we go back to the final at Rogue), Toomey cruised to her 2022 Games ticket with ease and poise, not only dominating her competitors, but then cheering them on and coaching them through tough moments.

Along the way to those 600 points, she won the “2014 Regionals Event 5” by :30 seconds in a workout that only lasted four minutes, broke the programming in “Don’t Stop Me Now,” finishing the event in only two rounds, she was the only athlete male or female to do so. Oh yeah, and she’s tied for the world record in the barbell complex at 245 pounds (she could’ve hit 250 as well). 

On the final day, she also crushed “Strongman Diane,” which combined strict, deficit handstand push ups with odd object carries, beating second place finisher Kara Saunders (a supremely fit individual) by more than 90 seconds in a five minute workout.

Mayhem Crowned (Again) at Syndicate

With the addition of Sam Cournoyer, an already lethal team became even more so, and proved it this weekend. Looking at the point differentials between Mayhem and the second-place finisher in each event paints a clear picture of how dialed in this team is heading into the summer and Games prep:

  • Event 1: 15 pounds above CrossFit Blues City Gold with a complex total of 935lbs.
  • Event 2: 3 reps ahead of second place, and 21 reps ahead of third. 
  • Event 3: Finished 1:03 before CrossFit Mayhem Justice crossed the finish line next.
  • Event 4: 1:11 ahead of second place, CrossFit CLT. 
  • Event 5: 1:36 ahead of second place, CrossFit CLT.
  • Event 6: Only team to finish under the time cap at 10:19. The time cap was 14 minutes.

There will be a lot of conversation about whether CrossFit Reykjavik, Annie Thoridottir’s superteam, can unseat Froning’s juggernaut at the Games, but in the meantime we should sit back and appreciate the surgical precision with which Froning and company decimated this competition. 

Annie’s Team Announces Arrival

Speaking of Annie’s superteam–comprised of Thorisdottir, Lauren Fisher, Tola Morakinyo and Khan Porter–at their first live, in-person competition, the absolute joy and excitement they exuded throughout the weekend was inspiring. Oh yeah, they also smashed every event, earning a clean sweep of 600 points in the process.

In their first time on the competition floor together, the Reykjavik improved throughout the weekend and while this dominance in terms of point differentials was not quite what Mayhem’s was, a couple of events stood out. In the Team Snatch Ladder, on the back of Morakinyo’s 308 pound lift, the team totaled 955, which was 56 pounds more than second-place CrossFit Nordic (and 24 pounds more than Mayhem, halfway across the world). In the final, Thorisdottir’s crew was the only one to finish under the eight-minute time cap, finishing in 7:30.

As they look ahead to the summer and a trip to Madison, Khan Porter said,”I’m pumped. This was so much fun. We all just vibe so well together it makes it a real joy competing.” His teammate, Tola Morakinyo added, “Yeah feels good to get some live feedback on how hard we’ve been working the last few months and a goal of mine for us this year but lots of work to do before the games!!”

Team captain and CrossFit Queen, Thoridottir put a bow on the conversation when asked how it feels to make the Games with a team. “So fun!,” she replied.

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