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Brave New World: More Big Announcements for the Women’s Division

February 14, 2023 by Joey Adduci

Photo Credit: Annie Thorisdottir | TYR Sport(@anniethorisdottir | @tyrsport)

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When Tia-Clair Toomey announced she was pregnant and would be sitting out the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games season, the entire women’s division shifted on its axis. Now in the past few days, more big news has been announced on the women’s side, creating major opportunities for the athletes who plan on being in Madison this summer.

Toomey, Saunders and Campbell are all out for 2023

Tia-Clair Toomey: The six-time CrossFit Games champion sitting out 2023 was the news of the offseason, giving the rest of the women’s field a chance to claim the top of the podium at this year’s Games.
Kara Saunders: Saunders is a 10-time Games competitor, who finished seventh in 2022 and is currently ranked 10th in the worldwide rankings.
Lucy Campbell: Campbell finished 16th in her rookie season at the 2022 CrossFit Games and is currently ranked 30th in the worldwide rankings. She has been battling a wrist injury since before Qualifiers in 2022 and has decided to sit out this year for the long term health of her career.

Annie Thorisdottir is coming back to the individual division

Iceland Annie announced that she was going individual on her Instagram page on February 13th, looking to compete in her 12th CrossFit Games in the individual division.
Thorisdottir finished fourth on team CrossFit Reykjavík in 2022 following her third place individual finish in 2021, showing that she is far from being out of her prime.

The bottom line: Three of the top 20 finalists from 2022 will not be at the CrossFit Games this year, creating an opportunity for the rest of the field to earn a higher placement. One of the people who may be able to capitalize on this news is Thorisdottir, who’s legendary career continues for her 12th individual season as one of the fittest women in the world.

From a Semifinal level, the Oceania women’s Semifinal will be missing their top two athletes. With only three guaranteed games qualifying spots, this opens the door for athletes like Ellie Turner, Madeline Sturt, Jammie Simmonds and Bailey Rogers, who were the top contenders behind Toomey and Saunders at the 2022 Torian Pro.

The implementation of the new worldwide ranking system makes Toomey and Saunders’ absence even more significant, as qualifying for the CrossFit Games creates the largest points-earning opportunity for athletes during the season. The opening in the Oceania region will allow some of the previously mentioned top contenders to make some moves this year and help their ranking for years to come.