Video By: CrossFit HQ

Annie Thorisdottir is the only female, to date, to win the CrossFit Games twice (2011 and 2012).

 

She is on a mission to do it again in 2015.

 

Thorisdottir surprised many as she claimed the first place spot at the end of the 2015 Open—this after it looked like Camille Leblanc-Bazinet would continue to uphold her current reigning status as the most recent Game’s champ (2014).

 

“I am thankful to have a strong start to season,” Thorisdottir said.

 

Thorisdottir means this with all sincerity after having been forced to work through a back injury over the past two years.

 

Her back initially flared up between the 2012 and 2013 Games’ season. She incurred a bulging disc from deadlifting after having just set a 285 lbs. back squat PR during her training. She gave it some rest and time to heal in order to attack the 2013 Open; however, unfortunately, she would re-injure it, causing nerve damage that left her left leg numb for months, and forced her to watch the Games.

 

“My back was hurting just walking around and then I see these girls lifting weight and I felt myself being so jealous of being able to do that,” she says. “It was way harder than I thought it would be. I didn't realize how much [CrossFit] meant to me until at the Games that year,” she said.

Hungry to return the following year, in 2014, Thorisdottir was back in action, managing to qualify for the Games at the European Regional—in spite of a tweaked knee. Come the Games’ weekend, Thorisdottir  was back on the podium, managing to take second overall, with tears of triumph when all was said and done.

“I had numbness on my leg for half a year…didn’t lift weights for a year…people kept telling me, I could do it. And it was really hard to believe that for myself…but I took it one day at a time…what I’ve learned is if you want something enough and you believe in yourself, you can do it,” Thorisdottir said.

Today, Thorisdottir is happy to finally feel healthy (And by ‘healthy’, she means more like a superhero). Injury-free to date, may as well qualify her for fair comparison to a Wonder Woman. 

Thorisdottir’s superhero training began long before CrossFit, and she is no stranger to competition. As a kid, Thorisdottir competed in gymnastics and made the national Icelandic team before quitting at age fifteen because, as she said, “I knew that I would never be the best in the world.” After that, she dabbled in ballet, then pole vaulting. She went on to become a national champion for two years running, with a goal of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics. However: Enter CrossFit around 2009, and Thorisdottir’s goals changed.

After being introduced to the sport of fitness by a local bootcamp instructor, Thorisdottir was told she was a natural. Her instructor encouraged to enter the 2009 Regionals, where she earned a ticket to her first Games in Aromas. The rest is history. She became a staple name on the Games’ roster, and two years in, she was standing on top of the podium.

“Hard work and dedication really does pay of! In those moments, I try to stay humble and be thankful,” she recently said.

Today, Thorisdottir is back in it, to win it.

While her clean and jerk performance on Workout 01A (max clean and jerk) during Week One was her weakest link (222 lbs.), Thorisdottir fought back to redeem herself. With a total four top-10 finishes over the course of the 5-week Open, Thorisdottir’s consistent performance proved to be where the Open was won.

“I never go into the Open with the mindset that I am going to win it, but this was a pleasant surprise. Obviously the main goal is to win the Games, but I am very excited about it,” she said.

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