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Health

World's fittest woman Tia-Clair Toomey is about to face one of her toughest challenges yet — motherhood

After winner six CrossFit championships, Tia-Clair Toomey is about to take on another challenge: parenthood. (Supplied: Tia-Clair Toomey )

Tia-Clair Toomey's resume reads like a win sheet for a whole team rather than just one athlete.

She was declared the world's fittest woman after winning the world CrossFit Games six times consecutively from 2017 until 2022. She also placed runner-up in 2015 and 2016.

In 2016, she competed in weightlifting at the Rio Olympics and also at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, where she won gold.

In 2022, Toomey qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics in the bobsleigh event, but in the end the Australian selection committee chose another driver with higher ranking.

Having so many accomplishments and wins to her name, Toomey said that growing up in Townsville, Weipa, Gladstone and the Sunshine Coast had given her an advantage when preparing for competition.

"When I look back on my childhood, there were so many different opportunities that each place provided," she said.

Toomey celebrated her sixth consecutive win at the CrossFit championships in 2022 by doing a 'shoey'. (Supplied: Tia-Clair Toomey)

"There are also the people who I have met along the journey. I have been fortunate to have some amazing people in my corner teaching me.

"Something that I have appreciated more since moving overseas is the ability to get outside and give things a go, despite whether you're going to be good at it or not.

"Queensland is very sporty; it has beautiful weather, and it allows you to be outside. It has all contributed to who I am today."

Queensland training ground

While Ms Toomey now lives and trains in Nashville Tennessee, she still considers Queensland home and believes that the heat and the humidity of North Queensland have contributed to her success.

"When I think back to those days in Weipa when I was training, there were some brutal days where I had to learn grit and hard work," she said.

"When I compete and people complain about the heat, I think, 'This is nothing to what I endured in far north Queensland'."

Toomey training for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, for which she qualified but was not picked for the team. (Supplied: Tia-Clair Toomey)

While most people would be happy representing their country in one discipline, Toomey has competed in everything from CrossFit and weightlifting to running and bobsleigh at the winter Olympics.

It's something she puts down to curiosity.

"Throughout this journey, I really wanted to test my body to its ultimate limits, and I feel like I haven't done that yet," she said.

"That has been a huge motivator, to keep pushing and striving for new heights."

Rumours of retirement

After Toomey won her sixth CrossFit championship in 2022 there was some conjecture about her future. Rumours among the CrossFit community suggested that she wouldn't be back to defend her title.

After taking some time off with her husband, Toomey decided that she would be back for 2023. She announced her plans on Fox Sports at the end of 2022.

"I've had some time off and re-evaluated what my husband Shane and I want to do, and we've decided, 'Why not go again?'," she said.

Toomey has competed at the Olympic Games and won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. (AAP: Dean Lewins)

"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."

Preparing for a new challenge

However, the decision to compete for a seventh title was cut short when Toomey announced that she was pregnant on her YouTube channel.

Toomey and her husband Shane Orr announced on Christmas day that they were expecting a baby in 2023. (Supplied:Jessica Chia, Essence Images)

The couple's baby is due in May.

"I am absolutely loving being pregnant at the moment," she said.

"There's this anticipation of what [parenthood] it is going to be like.

"Every day my husband and I wake up so excited. He wishes the baby was here yesterday."

Toomey said it was too soon to tell how being a parent would impact her future training and career.

"My priorities will change to be the most loving and supportive mother that I can be," she said.

"My husband and I want to be very hands on, and we are very lucky that we get to dictate our schedule and our training.

"I'm also not sure how the birth or my recovery will go there are so many different things to consider."

Seventh title in sights

Despite impending parenthood and already being the fittest woman on the planet, Toomey still has goals to win more titles.

"If you had have asked me three years ago, I would have thought that as soon as I fell pregnant that would be my time to retire and no longer compete or be an athlete," she said.

"But as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I had this fire to get back out on the competition floor.

"It has taken me by surprise the amount of feeling that I have when I think about getting back out on the floor and pushing myself as I know I have much more to give.

"I'm eager to get out there for my seventh title."

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