The women’s race at the 2025 CrossFit Games feels like a mystery waiting to unfold.
After we take Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr out of the equation, that is.
- It’s hard to imagine the seven-time Fittest Woman on Earth won’t repeat for the eighth time in Albany, NY. However, after her, only one other woman in the field has finished in the top three before – Arielle Loewen, who was third in 2023 – so the podium seems arguably more wide open than it ever has.
In fact, we believe that one-third of the women’s field has a legitimate chance to finish in the top three.
Who will seize the opportunity is anyone’s guess, but here’s who we’re tracking.
Podium Picks
Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr
Again, it’s hard to believe that Toomey-Orr won’t keep doing G.O.A.T. things this week. The real question is how much she will win by.
Her largest margin of victory came in 2020 during the pandemic-era Games, where she won by 360 points. Although that year was an anomaly, with only five women competing in the CrossFit Games final stage in Aromas, CA, Toomey-Orr’s next biggest margins of victory were:
- 256 points (2021)
- 195 points (2019)
- 151 points (2023)
- 113 points (2022)
Our prediction: With athletes like Alex Gazan, Laura Horvath, Gabi Migala, and Emma Lawson missing from this year’s line-up, Toomey-Orr will win the Games by more than 200 points.
Danielle Brandon
The six-time CrossFit Games veteran has finished in the top 10 four times, including a seventh-place finish last season. Her best result was a fourth-place finish in 2022.
- This season, Brandon has performed better than ever. She easily qualified for the Games through the In-Affiliate Semifinals (5th) and finished second to Alex Gazan at the World Fitness Project’s (WFP) Tour Stop I.
Arielle Loewen
A quiet yet consistent competitor, Loewen has repeatedly shown she should never be underestimated. After withdrawing midway through last summer’s Games, she bounced back to finish third at the Rogue Invitational in the fall.
- More recently, she placed third at the In-Affiliate Semifinals and was fifth at the WFP’s Tour Stop I.
Additionally, this super-fit mom knows what it feels like to reach the podium, adding a valuable, intangible experience.
Other Contenders
Haley Adams
After sitting out the 2023 season for mental health reasons, Haley Adams made a strong comeback last year with a fifth-place finish at the Games.
- The former teen champion was ninth at the Games in 2022, fifth in 2021, fourth in 2020, and sixth as a rookie in 2019.
It seems like only a matter of time before Adams finds her way to the podium, and the stars could align in Albany.
Lucy Campbell
The UK’s Lucy Campbell may have only one CrossFit Games appearance — she finished 16th in 2022 — but her performances this season have definitely drawn attention.
After the 2022 Games, Campbell sat out two seasons to recover from a serious wrist injury that doctors believed might end her career.
- But after two surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation process, she returned to competition and won the 2025 TYR Wodapalooza against a world-class lineup of athletes, including 2023 Games champion Laura Horvath.
Campbell turned around and won this year’s third In-Person Qualifying Event, Wodland Fest in Málaga, Spain. Additionally, she finished fourth at the WFP’s Tour Stop I.
Although Campbell is less experienced than others on our radar, she is definitely a podium contender in Albany.
Alexis Raptis
Alexis Raptis is another low-key, unassuming competitor, like Loewen, who appears to have no notable weaknesses.
- Her consistency has helped her finish in the top 10 in all three of her Games appearances: 10th as a rookie in 2022, and sixth in both 2023 and 2024.
This year, Raptis finished second at the In-Affiliate Semifinals and placed seventh at the WFP’s Tour Stop I.
If Raptis does what she usually does, she has a good chance of finally making it into the top three by the end of the weekend.
Brooke Wells
Brooke Wells is another athlete who knows what it’s like to be in the top 10, but she still hasn’t found her way onto the podium.
- The nine-time Games athlete has fluctuated between finishing inside and outside the top 10 throughout her career, with her best result being fifth place, which she achieved in both 2020 and 2022.
Wells is due for a top-10 finish again this year, and judging by her 54-point victory at the Syndicate Crown IPQE in June, she might finally crack the top three.
Not only that, but on July 23, Wells announced that this will be her 10th and final Games, so she might have some extra motivation to go out on top.
Dark Horses
Maddie Sturt
Maddie Sturt’s CrossFit career hasn’t taken the usual path.
The Australian athlete first competed at the Games in 2016 when she was just 19. She finished 39th.
- Sturt went on to qualify for the Games again the following three seasons, her best finish being 20th in 2018.
- But after the 2019 Games, where she finished 22nd, Sturt failed to qualify again for the following four years.
Sturt admits that coming close to qualifying but not doing enough in those years affected her confidence.
- “Somewhere along the way, I stopped believing in myself and trusting myself,” she told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview. That being said, Sturt never stopped “pushing to be better, trying to get stronger, get fitter.”
It paid off, as last year Sturt emerged as a new athlete. She finished fifth in the world in the Quarterfinals and second at the Oceania Semifinals before going on to secure her first top 10 finish at the 2024 CrossFit Games, placing eighth.
Sturt, who has been training for this summer’s Games alongside Toomey-Orr at PRVN Fitness in Nashville, TN, has carried this momentum into the 2025 season.
- She was fifth at the In-Affiliate Semifinals and second at the Torian Pro IPQE, only behind Toomey-Orr.
After five Games’ appearances starting in 2016, could this be Sturt’s year to break through to the next level?
Aimee Cringle
In her rookie season last year, the UK’s Aimee Cringle finished 13th overall at the Games and has since established herself as one of the top female CrossFit athletes in the world.
- Cringle was an impressive third at the WFP’s Tour Stop I and qualified for this summer’s Games through the In-Affiliate Semifinals (ninth).
Though a dark horse, Cringle is on the rise and gaining momentum quickly.
Siria Meha
Although we don’t know much about Siria Meha, the Albanian outperformed all competitors at this year’s In-Affiliate Semifinals against the strongest field of women from any of this year’s qualifying competitions.
While she lacks experience, it’s not uncommon for a rookie to unexpectedly make it to the podium (Toomey-Orr did it in 2015, and Laura Horvath in 2018).
The Big Picture
Although we’re all expecting Toomey-Orr to secure the title for the eighth time this week, there’s still plenty to look forward to as we follow the race to the 2025 CrossFit Games podium.
With consistent performers like Loewen and Raptis, frequent top-10 contenders such as Brandon, Adams, and Wells, rapidly emerging stars like Campbell, and dark horses like Sturt, Cringle, and Meha, fans can expect an exciting and unpredictable battle in Albany.
More CrossFit Stories
Featured Image: @evillmediasports / Instagram
