CrossFit Games Rookie Spotlight: Experience Pays Off for First-Time Individual Games Qualifier, Kyra Milligan
It’s always a tense moment as the announcer reads out the list of CrossFit Games qualifiers at the end of a Semifinal event.
And as the 2024 West Coast Classic came to a close just over a week ago, emcee Mike Richards, known to the community simply as “Big Mike,” read out the women’s names slowly and paused dramatically after seventh place.
As he announced the eighth and final qualifying athlete, it took Kyra Milligan a moment to realize it was her.
- “They’d been mispronouncing my name all weekend, so it took me a second to realize they had said my name,” Milligan told Morning Chalk Up, beaming. “I was like, ‘Oh! That’s me!’
For the first time, Milligan had earned a spot as an individual at the CrossFit Games, taking the last qualifying position available at the North America West Semifinal.
[Related: Best Greens Powders]
An “Experienced” Rookie
Although this will be Milligan’s first trip to the Games as an individual, this isn’t her first trip to the Games. In 2023, Milligan competed with Team CrossFit Mayhem Independence and took seventh place in the team division.
While she has quite a bit of team experience (she’s competed on teams for the past three years at TYR Wodapalooza in Miami, FL), she also has individual experience at off-season competitions. For the past several years, it’s been her goal to make it to the Games as an individual.
- In 2021, Milligan placed 15th at the Mid-Atlantic CrossFit Challenge Semifinal; in 2022, she took 14th at the same competition.
After the 2022 season, she shifted to a team and competed with Mayhem, and while she celebrated their success, she knew early on that she wanted to try to go for it again on her own.
[Related: Best Creatine Supplements]
- “Doing team last year, I had the time of my life, but I was missing being out here as an individual. So after the [2023] CrossFit Games ended, the day after, I was like, ‘I’m ready to start training for Rogue. I’m going to do the qualifiers; I want to be out there,'” Milligan says.
In November, Milligan qualified for Rogue via “The Q.” She competed against the elites and took 18th place.
The following month, she competed at the Dubai Fitness Championship to advance her preparation for the Games season and took 13th. Along the way, she picked up an event win and two top-five finishes.
- “The biggest thing I needed was experience, so I did Rogue and Dubai, and I just needed to learn to be confident in what I could do,” Milligan says.
A New Focus
When asked if she missed team camaraderie while at the West Coast Classic, she said not necessarily. She’s right where she’s supposed to be right now and exactly where she had hoped she’d end up.
That said, she’s grateful to her Underdogs community for supporting her along the way.
- “Thankfully, with Underdogs, we have such a good group of people. Everyone that trains under Kiefer [Lammi], they’re always willing to go in early, go in late with me, whatever I needed to do. Someone was always willing to hop in and help,” Milligan said.
[Related: Best Electrolyte Supplements]
The Bottom Line
Along with 39 other elite women, Milligan will compete in Fort Worth, TX, from August 8 to 11 to find the Fittest on Earth.
Successfully making the jump from team athlete to individual over consecutive years, Milligan looks to Texas and all that awaits her with a proud smile.
Featured image: @quads.like.kyra @crossfitgames @westcoastclassic / Instagram