Tia-Clair Toomey

Tia-Clair Toomey (born 22 July 1993)[3] is an Australian weightlifter and CrossFit Games athlete. She won the gold medal in the women's 58 kg (128 lb) event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. She also competed in the women's 58 kg (128 lb) event at the 2016 Summer Olympics and came in 14th.[4] In the CrossFit Games, she was the winner of the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 CrossFit Games after being the runner-up in 2015 and 2016.

Tia-Clair Toomey
Personal information
Born (1993-07-22) 22 July 1993
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height163 cm (5 ft 4 in)[1]
Weight58 kg (128 lb)[1]
Spouse(s)Shane Orr[2]
Sport
SportCrossFit, weightlifting
ClubCrossFit Gladstone
Coached byShane Orr
Achievements and titles
World finals
  • 2015 CrossFit Games Runner-Up
  • 2016 CrossFit Games Runner-Up
  • 2017 CrossFit Games Champion
  • 2018 CrossFit Games Champion
  • 2019 CrossFit Games Champion
  • 2020 CrossFit Games Champion
Olympic finals2016 Summer Olympics
Medal record
Women's Weightlifting
Representing  Australia
Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold Coast58 kg (128 lb)
Pacific Games
2015 Port Moresby58 kg (128 lb)

Background

Toomey began participating in CrossFit in 2013 after primarily being a runner.[5] She learned the basics of weightlifting through her CrossFit classes.[6] She was approached by the weightlifting coach Miles Wydall after he saw her lift her then-personal best 80 kg (180 lb) clean and jerk in a CrossFit competition.[5] He encouraged Toomey, and her husband, to try to get to the Rio Olympics representing Australia, which she qualified for after just 18 months of serious weightlifting training.[6]

Competitions

She is an established CrossFit Games competitor, and has finished second overall in both the 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Games. Because she participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics less than a month after finishing the 2016 CrossFit Games, she garnered some criticism for not being a focused sport-specific athlete like many she qualified over.[7] Many CrossFit writers defended Toomey's performance, citing she did as well as could be expected from any competitor within the Australian Weightlifting Federation, a nation that only qualified to bring two weightlifting athletes to Rio (compared to an exceptional weightlifting federation, such as China, that qualified to bring ten athletes).[8] She competed in the Women's 58 kg weightlifting competition at the Rio Olympics and finished 14th.[9]

Toomey won first place at the 2017 CrossFit Games, followed by wins in 2018, 2019 and 2020 CrossFit Games, becoming the first woman ever to win four consecutive titles.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she won gold in the 58 kg (128 lb) event with a combined total of 201 kg (443 lb).[10]

In December 2020, Toomey announced her plan to train with the Australian bobsleigh team and try to qualify for the 2022 Winter Olympics.[11]

Personal life

Toomey used to own a gym with her husband, Shane Orr, who is also her coach.[5] They sold it in early 2019 to move to Cookeville, Tennessee, to train at Rich Froning's gym CrossFit Mayhem. Multiple CrossFit Games male champion, Mat Fraser, then joined them in Cookeville and Shane coached both of them in preparation for the 2019 CrossFit Games.

CrossFit Games results
Year Games Regionals Open (Worldwide)
2013[12] — — 5954th
2014[12] — — 241st
2015[12] 2nd 3rd (Pacific) 63rd
2016[12] 2nd 2nd (Pacific) 82nd
2017[12] 1st 2nd (Pacific) 18th
2018[12] 1st 1st (Pacific) 12th
Year Games Qualifier Open
2019 1st 1st (WZA) 6th (world)
1st (Australia)
2020 1st 1st (Mayhem)[13]
1st (WZA)[14]		 4th (world)
1st (Australia)

References
  1. "Tia-Clair Toomey". games.crossfit.com. CrossFit. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
  2. "Tia-Clair Toomey Had Surprise Wedding". The Barbell Spin. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  3. "Tia-Clair Toomey". Rogue Fitness. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  4. "Tia-Clair Toomey". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  5. Lewis, Aimee. "'Fittest woman on earth' wins gold medal after family tragedy". CNN. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  6. "Tia Clair Inspires". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  7. "World CrossFit Games runner-up Tia Toomey finds Rio 2016 a different beast". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  8. "Olympics-Weightlifting-World's 'Second Fittest Woman' ready for Rio". Yahoo Sports. 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  9. "Journalist Criticizes Olympian Tia Toomey for Excelling in Two Sports". The Russells. 10 August 2016. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
  10. "Tia-Clair Toomey wins gold in the weightlifting just days after she was hit by personal tragedy". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  11. Beers, Emily (10 December 2020). "Toomey Takes on Bobsledding, Plans to Train with Australian Team". Morning Chalk Up.
  12. "CrossFit Games Leaderboard". CrossFit Games. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  13. "Mayhem Classic Leaderboard". Throwdowns. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  14. "Wodapalooza Leaderboard". Competition Corner. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
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