Mirjam von Rohr and Tommaso Pieri Take Gold at the iF3 World Championships in Lithuania
The 2025 International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) World Championships took place last weekend (December 5-7) in Vilnius, Lithuania, delivering one of the most competitive and well-attended editions in the event’s history.
The annual World Championships are the highlight of the iF3 season, bringing together top athletes from around the world and showcasing all aspects of functional fitness.
- This year, nearly 400 athletes from 27 nations took the floor in Vilnius over three packed days of competition, with several divisions coming down to the final test.
In the Senior (Elite) Division, Switzerland’s Mirjam von Rohr cemented her place among the sport’s elite by defending her title and becoming a two-time World Champion, building on her breakthrough victory in 2024. On the men’s side, Italy’s Tommaso Pieri captured his first world championship, marking a major milestone in his career.
Remind me:
Like all iF3 events, the championship followed the federation’s six-test format – endurance, strength, bodyweight, skill, mixed modal, and power – providing a complete assessment of athlete capacity and ensuring consistent standards across divisions.
- The event was organized in partnership with this year’s host, the Lithuanian Functional Fitness Federation, one of the many national federations supported by the iF3.
Like the international body itself, the Lithuanian federation functions as a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and formalizing the sport worldwide.
Despite the scale of the championships, the event ran smoothly, accommodating athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials, and media from around the world. This was encouraging because the iF3 Masters World Championship held in Brisbane, Australia, weeks earlier, experienced major issues.
2025 World Champions
Rising star, 23-year-old Mirjam von Rohr, fresh off an seventh-place finish at the 2025 CrossFit Games, arrived in Vilnius to defend her title. She did just that, outlasting Norway’s Matilde Garnes to become a back-to-back iF3 World Champion. Leah Storen, also from Norway, rounded out the women’s podium.
- “It was great to be part of the competition, and it’s always amazing to stand alongside so many athletes who share the same sport and push themselves just as hard,” von Rohr told Morning Chalk Up.
She added that what makes the iF3 World Championships unique compared to other CrossFit events is the involvement of national federations, with athletes competing for their home countries.
- “I think that’s fantastic because it brings together people from the same country who share the same passion for the sport. There’s much more mutual support — it feels more like working together rather than competing against each other, and I really appreciate that,” von Rohr said.
- Check out the full women’s results here.
On the men’s side, Tomasso Pieri’s journey to the title was almost cut short at the airport.
- “Honestly, I wasn’t even supposed to compete last weekend,” Pieri told Morning Chalk Up.
Upon arriving at the airport, he wasn’t allowed to board his flight to Vilnius because he had forgotten his documents at home, “a complete rookie mistake,” he said.
He ended up booking another flight with encouragement from his girlfriend and family, so he could compete.
- “The entire experience at Worlds was outstanding. The organization and judging were flawless, and the competition floor was a real surprise – huge, impressive, and yet somehow intimate enough to feel the people around you. The support from the rest of the Italian team was crucial for me; that atmosphere made a real difference all weekend,” Pieri said.
Pieri shared that representing his country as an iF3 Champion means more than he can express in words.
- “At the start of 2025, after a tough end to my CrossFit Games season the year before, I had actually decided not to compete in the Games season at all. Instead, I reached out to AFFI (Functional Fitness Italy) and made myself fully available to pursue the iF3 path, aiming to earn a spot at the World Championships. They explained the whole qualification process to me, and I committed completely.”
Looking back on the journey he, his family, and his coach, André Houdet, have taken, he is extremely proud to hold the title.
- “Choosing to represent Italy in this way was absolutely the right decision, and I hope this result helps push the growth of functional fitness in our country. Being able to contribute to that movement is one of the things that makes this title truly special for me,” he said.
Victor Helsinghof and Henrik Negård represented Norway on the podium in second and third, respectively.
- Check out the full men’s results here.
IF3 president, Gretchen Kittelberger, was thrilled with how the competition turned out.
- “It was the best event so far,” Kittelberger told Morning Chalk Up. “The Lithuanian team did a fantastic job. They thought of all the details. We can always pick apart little things, but it was as close to flawless as we’ve done.”
Looking Ahead
The iF3 now includes 21 countries with nationally recognized federations, and the organization aims to continue growing toward the ultimate goal of becoming an Olympic sport.
Kittelberger informed us that they have officially submitted an application to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This is a crucial and costly step in the process of becoming an official Olympic sport.
- “It is a big step in the right direction,” Kittelberger explained.
Commentator and analyst Brian Friend was on-site to witness the event and even lent his services to the broadcast team. The competition drew high praise from the world traveler.
- “It was awesome. Probably [in the] top three most rewarding trips of the year for me,” Friend told Morning Chalk Up.
Friend then traveled from Lithuania to Denmark, where he is preparing for the World Fitness Project Finals and will see plenty of familiar faces.
Twenty-eight athletes from the iF3 World Championships will also take the floor at the WFP Finals, most of them in the team division. One Individual Pro Challenger will arrive with momentum on his side: newly crowned iF3 World Champion, Tommaso Pieri.
