“I love it so much … and my results are improving, I am getting fitter, stronger and faster … so why not compete again?”
The world’s fittest woman Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr today ended speculation that she was retiring from the sport that has made her a global superstar.
Toomey-Orr is an absolute giant in the sport of CrossFit and in recently winning her sixth Fittest Woman on Earth title, solidified her status as the most dominant athlete in the sport.
The former Queenslander now lives in Texas with her coach/husband Shane and her appeal is so great that the athlete is listed as Australia’s top female athlete on Instagram’s Rich List.
Speaking to Fox Sports ahead of Sunday’s Women’s Health Women in Sport Awards, award-nominee Toomey said she was aware of the rumours surrounding her retirement but was also acutely aware of the limited years to perform at her best.
“I have been doing this for so many years now, and I feel like I could keep going for another 10 years. I still feel so strong and I am planning on competing for another year, I love it so much,” Toomey-Orr said from her home in Nashville.
“I’ve had some time off and revaluated what my husband Shane and I want to do, and we’ve decided why not go again.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to create a platform and a career where we can do this together. I’m always trying to get better and I know I am getting better.
“I am constantly evaluating myself against what I was doing the year before and I can wholeheartedly say I am producing better results.
“To find out how far I can really go, I find that motivating … this is a goal that gives me purpose.”
Toomey-Orr is a fulltime athlete but easily fills the role of part-time life coach.
She knows there may be people with more talent, but no one will work harder.
The 29-year-old also knows how to “find a way” when she is not feeling 100 per cent – like navigating a back injury during her recent title win.
“I have worked so hard over the past 10 years, so why not keep going? You only have a short period of life at this top level – I will be longer retired than the years I spend competing.
“I want to be the most dominant CrossFit athlete of all time.
“I wouldn’t be committing myself to another year if I didn’t think I couldn’t be fitter and stronger.”
Toomey-Orr is one of many women that have wowed in a blockbuster 2022.
For women, sport has become a world language, breaking down barriers and globally becoming a powerful tool for progress and development.
Toomey-Orr said: “I have always wanted to inspire the younger generation and help them understand that no dream is too big or too small.”
“If you really want to go out and achieve something, you can. I want to be the best I can be, but I also hope I can inspire others to also chase their best.
“Whatever that looks like … it will take time and energy and hard work.
“The other message for athletes is, don’t be afraid to want to win.
“Aussies are so sporty and driven, and we work harder than anyone else in the world and we are also so humble.
“There’s a sense of, Aussie athletes don’t want to admit how much they want something, how much they want to win.
“It’s OK to admit that you want to be the best you can be.”
Women’s Health Women in Sport (WinS) Awards returns this Sunday, October 16 at 7.30pm AEDT, with Fox Sports exclusively broadcasting the event as part of an ongoing commitment to celebrate and champion female athletes competing from grassroots through to the elite level.
The WinS Awards ceremony – now in its tenth year – recognises women who have made an exceptional impact in their sporting code and inspire the next generation of sporting talent in Australia.
Fox Sports has also recently launched a new campaign, Just Watch Me, to celebrate and spotlight the very best in female sporting talent as part of the biggest month ever of women’s sport on Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
The blockbuster month sees AFLW, NRLW, Netball Internationals, WBBL, LPGA and select Ladies European Tour events, and more crossover throughout September and October with wall-to-wall action for the Foxtel Group’s 2.5 million sports subscriber base.
The campaign leverages Fox Sports’ influential on-air talent, ambassador and editorial network to put women’s sport front and centre – championing those leading the way on and off the field.
The Women in Sport Awards begins at 7.30pm AEDT this Sunday on Fox Sports Channel 505, directly following New Zealand taking on Australia in the netball Constellation Cup.
