How much could you clean and jerk when you were 14? Whatever it was, it was probably less than the 260 pounds Tahlia Vosaki hit during Event 2 at this year’s Teenage CrossFit Games.

• She lifted more than 17 boys in her age group and outlifted all the girls in both divisions.

Not a bad showing for a rookie with big dreams.

• Vosaki comes from Christchurch, New Zealand, far away from the platforms she performed on in Columbus, OH. 

She and her mother, Roberta, took three flights to reach the U.S., spending nearly 18 hours in the air. But it was a goal that Tahlia had been working toward for years.

Discovering CrossFit

CrossFit was already part of her family’s routine by the time Tahlia was 8 years old. Her parents would take her to classes at their local affiliate, and it didn’t take long before she wanted to join in.

Her mom, Roberta, remembers it vividly:

• “My husband had played rugby, and I wanted to stay moving, so we found CrossFit,” Roberta says. “We would bring the kids to the gym, and Tahlia would sit there and watch the athletes doing muscle-ups and handstand walking. When class would finish, she would run straight out of the kids’ little gated area to the rig to start attempting what she saw the athletes do in class.”

Already active in rugby and tennis, Tahlia was captivated by the skills she observed in the gym – athletes swinging on the rings and walking on their hands. She initially joined CrossFit Kids, but by age 9, she was eager to move into the adult classes.

Roberta, however, wanted to make sure her daughter’s eagerness didn’t compromise her safety.

• “We wanted to make sure Tahlia learned the technique properly so she could avoid injury,” Roberta says. “We were lucky enough to have this amazing Fijian weightlifter at our gym who wanted to help her out.”

Soon, Sundays turned into a family tradition. They would head to the gym together, gathering around the barbell for friendly Olympic lifting sessions that laid the foundation for Tahlia’s future in the sport.

Roberta remembers how pivotal those early lessons were:

• “His technique is so beautiful. So Tahlia learned from him, and I believe that’s why the weight was able to go up so much for her so quickly,” she said.

Dreaming Big

With strong fundamentals under her belt, Tahlia began to dream bigger. She discovered the CrossFit Games and created a vision board focused on one goal: qualifying for the 2025 Age Group Games, which would be the first year she was eligible.

But she didn’t stop there.

• “I included all the movements that I didn’t have on post-it notes on the outside of that vision board,” Tahlia says. “And when I’d like get something, I’d like take it off, until there was nothing left.”

Her determination was precise, but to reach her goal, she knew she couldn’t do it alone. She needed a coach.

• “I follow a lot of the Oceania athletes – Grace Walton, Bailey Martin, and Ricky Garard. A bunch of them were Underdogs, and that is how I became aware of Justin Cotler,” Tahlia says.

In August 2024, she reached out to Underdogs Athletics, based in Las Vegas, hoping to connect with Cotler. They passed along an email address, and she wasted no time sending a message, asking if he might consider coaching her toward the Games.

When the family logged onto the scheduled call, they were shocked to see Cotler himself on the other end. The conversation went smoothly, goals were shared, and the connection was immediate. (Note: Cotler is now the Director of Coaching at HWPO Training.)

Training Begins

With Tahlia in Australia and Cotler in the U.S., distance might have been a barrier — but technology closed the gap. Daily texts, videos, and calls became normal, with Cotler guiding her training from afar.

The two finally met in person on the opening day of the Teen Games, just before the first event. Tahlia finished last, but she laughed about it afterward.

• “I knew that would have been my worst one,” Tahlia says. “Running is one of my weaknesses that we’ve been working on since I started with Justin, and he said, It’s just going to be a long journey with that to get there better.”

The weekend quickly turned around with the max lift event. Vosaki had tested the weight during training and knew she could do it. All she needed was the adrenaline from the competition floor.

• “I knew my third weight, because Justin and I had talked about it, but on the fourth one, he said, ‘Just put on whatever you want,'” Tahlia remembers. “I didn’t know what to put on because I didn’t know the pounds! I just put on the little ones.”

She hit the lift with ease – and in her eyeline, Cotler and her mom were cheering from behind the barricade.

For Roberta, it was just as special.

• “I am always so happy for her when she lifts, and when she does a really good lift, you just see her big smile at the end,” she says.

Though only 14, Tahlia carries herself with the maturity of a veteran. She knows her limits and respects proper technique.

And the best part about it? “She never lets her ego get in the way,” Roberta said.

Next Up

Tahlia finished the weekend in sixth place, but she’s not discouraged; she’s motivated. Now that she’s checked off everything on her vision board, she tells us she has a new milestone in mind: “My next goal for the Games would be to podium. And eventually win it.”

Credit: @jenniferstevensphotography / Instagram