Could Annie Thorisdottir’s Stellar Rogue Performance Open Door for Individual Return?
Iceland’s Annie Thorisdottir shocked the CrossFit world when she announced her intention to compete on a team for the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games, an announcement that came mere months after finishing 3rd Fittest Woman on Earth only a year after giving birth to her daughter, Freya.
Thorisdottir would go on to lead her team, CrossFit Reykjavik, to a fourth place finish at the 2022 CrossFit Games, further adding to her already impressive career.
One big thing: With Thorisddottir sitting in third overall with only three events left, the team athlete is making a statement. She’s 85 points behind the leader, Laura Horvath, following the Hungarian’s record-setting four consecutive event wins between Friday and Saturday night, and only ten points behind second-place athlete, Gabriela Migala.
Thorisdottir has been extremely consistent, without being flashy. She hasn’t finished outside the top ten in any event and has carded a second-place finish in “ The Turtle,” as well as a fifth and three sevenths.
Some context: For many veteran athletes who have competed for the better part of a decade or more, the move to teams usually signals the twilight of their careers. And no one would bat an eye if Thorisdottir had chosen to continue on that path, maybe even competing in the Rogue Legends division with other former Games Champs like Rich Froning, Samantha Briggs, Kristan Clever, and Mikko Salo.
- Not since Rich Froning and Jason Khalipa’s transition to teams back in 2015 has an athlete of her caliber moved to team competition immediately after a podium Games finish.
- The move, though surprising at the time, seemingly invigorated two-time Games champ, Thorisdottir, as she set out to try to take down Froning’s CrossFit Mayhem Freedom team.
Remind me: “Iceland Annie” first appeared on the CrossFit Games stage in 2009, after only doing CrossFit for one month. She won the Sandbag Sprint that year and famously got her first ring muscle-up in front of the crowd.
- She returned to the Games in 2010 with a stronger arsenal of skills, but in the end finished second to Kristan Clever.
- In 2011, Thorisdottir was dominant, taking her first of two back-to-back CrossFit Games titles. In 2012, she and Rich Froning became the first athletes to win multiple Games titles.
- Following a back injury in 2013, Thorisdottir returned to the Games in 2014 where she placed second behind Camille LeBlanc-Bazinet.
- Between 2015 and 2021, Thorisdottir carded two more third-place finishes and a fifth.
For those keeping track, Thorisdottir’s record includes two individual CrossFit Games championships, two second-place finishes, two third-place finishes and a fifth-place finish. Plus a fourth-place finish in the team division. Oh yeah, she is also the only person to compete at the CrossFit Games in three different decades.
The bottom line: It’s hard to say what Thorisdottir will do in the 2023 season. She has alluded to the fact that the CrossFit Reykjavik team will not have the same roster next year. Could her performance at the Rogue Invitational provide the confidence she needs for one more run on the individual side?
Get the Newsletter
For a daily digest of all things CrossFit. Community, Competitions, Athletes, Tips, Recipes, Deals and more.
"*" indicates required fields
