Alessandra Pichelli Announces Her Retirement From Competitive CrossFit
On Nov. 2, 2021, Alessandra Pichelli announced her retirement from competitive CrossFit in a post on her Instagram page. Pichelli has been a mainstay at the CrossFit Games for most of the past decade. Since her CrossFit Games debut in 2012 as part of team Diablo CrossFit Anejo, she competed at the Games as an individual on eight separate occasions since 2013.
It was such a difficult decision to retire after the CrossFit Games!
Pichelli’s best CrossFit Games finish came in 2013 when she barely missed the podium via a fourth-place overall rank. In 2021, she ranked seventh worldwide in the CrossFit Open. According to the caption of her Instagram post, her reasoning for closing the curtain on her competitive CrossFit career is to “spend more time with my husband and family and say yes to some of the opportunities you have to say no to in pursuit of our goals.”
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Alessandra Pichelli’s CrossFit Career
Pichelli’s competitive CrossFit career is decorated with a plethora of notable finishes. Though she never stood on the CrossFit Games podium, she did get close several times. In addition to her fourth-place overall finish in 2013, she has four additional finishes within the top 14.
Results at the CrossFit Games
- 2012 — Third place | Team Diablo CrossFit Anejo
- 2013 — Fourth place | Individual
- 2014 — 23rd place | Individual
- 2015 — 32nd place | Individual
- 2016 — Ninth place | Individual
- 2017 — 11th place | Individual
- 2018 — 14th place | Individual
- 2019 — 13th place | Individual
- 2021 — 22nd place | Individual
Pichelli performed CrossFit programming in preparation to compete on the sport’s grandest stage for the past decade. Despite not making it to the podium, Pichelli has “no regrets” and leaves the sport “both physically and mentally healthy.”
CrossFit Greats Retire
Pichelli’s retirement marks another CrossFit great calling it a day on their competitive career. Scott Panchik retired following the 2021 CrossFit Games. Like Pichelli, Panchik was an elite contender every year he competed at the Games but never made the podium. However, he did finish in fourth overall three times (2012-13, 2019).
On Aug. 4, 2021, Kristin Holte announced her retirement from the CrossFit Games. Her resume includes five Games finishes in the top seven, including her runner-up rank to five-time reigning Fittest Woman on Earth® Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr in 2019.
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Kari Pearce announced her retirement from competitive CrossFit on Oct. 22, 2021, for similar reasons as Pichelli — to say yes to opportunities outside the competitive end of the sport. Her best Games finish came in 2020 — her third-place rank made her the first American woman to reach the Games podium since Julie Foucher‘s bronze-medal finish in 2014.
Moving On
Pichelli’s future is likely to involve CrossFit in some capacity, but how specifically is still up in the air. “I am not sure yet how my next decade looks like, but I will definitely approach it with the same passion, drive, and commitment that I gave to CrossFit.”
Featured image: @alessandrapichelli on Instagram | photo via Anthony Lucic (@antlucic on Instagram)