HAVE we seen the last of Weipa champion Tia Clair-Toomey on the CrossFit stage?
The Olympian won her sixth straight CrossFit Games in the US on Monday morning, but it was her future in the sport that had tongues wagging.
Broadcaster Sean Woodland said on the coverage: “If you’re wondering why Tia Toomey took her time and soaked it in, this is it. She’s planning to retire after the CrossFit Games.”
Toomey, 29, who originally took up CrossFit after husband Shane Orr started doing it to keep fit for rugby, has been a phenomenon for the sport.
Considered CrossFit’s GOAT (greatest of all time), she has competed at eight Games, with two second placings followed by six straight wins.
With an Australian flag draped over her shoulders, the former Western Cape College student did a “shoey” on the podium, drinking champagne from one of her sneakers.
In her post-Games interview, Toomey didn’t mention her future plans. However, she urged others to take up a sport and to consider trying CrossFit.
“Believe in yourself. It’s been shown this weekend that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible,” she said.
“It can be a long journey, a very hard journey, so surround yourself with good people.
“Don’t over complicate it.”
Toomey said CrossFit was well placed to become a mainstream sport.
“There are so many good rookies coming through and it’s so awesome to see our sport grow,” she said.
“We’re only a small community in sport but we’re only just getting started.
“We’re really making inroads into the mainstream sports.”
Toomey, cheered on by her parents Debbie and Brendan, along with Shane, has plenty of strings to her bow.
She won a Commonwealth Games gold medal for weightlifting and also represented her country in the sport at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Most recently, she has been pursuing bobsleigh.
