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Profiles

15 Years of Fitness: A Tribute to the “Dóttirs” of CrossFit

July 12, 2024 by Nicky Freymond

Since 2009, at least one Icelandic “Dóttir” has competed at the CrossFit Games. 

It all began with Annie Thorisdóttir throwing down in Aromas, CA, at the third CrossFit Games, competing before achieving her first ring muscle-up. 

  • She came back to win the CrossFit Games in 2011 and 2012. 

Katrin Davidsdóttir joined the CrossFit elites in 2012 and later earned the title of Fittest on Earth in 2015 and 2016. 

  • Fellow 2012 rookie Thuri Helgadóttir went on to compete seven times as an individual and one time on a team. 

Sara Sigmundsdóttir burst onto the scene in 2015, taking third place at the Games then and again in 2016.

Others, like Eik Gylfadóttir and Sola Sigurðardóttir, peppered the leaderboard over these 15 years, building a reputation for their island nation as a breeding ground for tremendous CrossFit athletes. 

With no Dóttirs headed to Texas this year, we hope that this is just a momentary respite in this tremendous legacy, not the end of an era. 

Let’s look at some of the women who played such a role in building our sport.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sara Sigmundsdóttir (@sarasigmunds)

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Thuri Helgadóttir 

Helgadóttir is one of the two Icelandic women to have competed in every CrossFit Open since it began in 2011. 

  • She is an eight-time Games athlete, first competing in 2012. 

She most recently competed at the Games in 2022, and her highest placing was in 2019, where she finished 9th. 

Helgadóttir is known for her finesse with a barbell and the amount of weight she can push around, considering her smaller frame. 

  • This October, Helgadóttir will compete at the TYR LX Games in Lisbon, Portugal. 

Eik Gylfadóttir 

Gylfadóttir competed in her first CrossFit Open in 2013, breaking through with team CrossFit Copenhagen in 2016 to take third at the Meridian Regional and then 12th at the Games. 

  • She then went on to compete as an individual in 2018 and 2019. 

Sara Sigmundsdóttir 

Sigmundsdóttir qualified for the first of her six Games appearances in 2015. 

  • That year, she took third place and repeated the feat in 2016. 

In 2017, she finished fourth and continued to compete in 2018, 2019, and 2020. In the years since, however, Sigmundsdóttir has suffered injuries that kept her from qualifying again. 

This season, she pulled out of the Europe Semifinal, sharing via social media that after battling with health issues for several years, she was diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis. 

  • “I believe strongly that everybody has a specific purpose in this world. My purpose is to demonstrate that there is always a way through the obstacles,” Sigmundsdóttir wrote on Instagram.

She is seeking treatment, and fans everywhere hope to see her compete at the Games again. 

Katrín Davidsdóttir 

Davidsdóttir first qualified for the CrossFit Games in 2012; she and Helgadottir shared a rookie season. 

  • That year and the next, she placed pretty low, 30th and 24th, respectively. 

However, after missing out on qualifying in 2014, she returned in 2015 and won, carrying her reign over to the following year as well. 

Between 2012 and 2023, Davidsdottir made 10 Games appearances, stood on the podium four times, and finished eight times in the top 10. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir (@katrintanja)

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  • This season, before the Europe Semifinal, Davisdóttir posted on social media that she would not be continuing due to a long-term back injury. She has recently been giving us a glimpse into her recovery from surgery. 

Annie Thorisdóttir 

Thorisdóttir competed first at the CrossFit Games in 2009 and has qualified 13 times over 14 years. That’s at least once in three different decades. 

  • She stood atop the podium in 2011 and again in 2012. 

Of her 13 Games appearances, she has finished in the top 10 eight times and has podiumed six. One of Thorisdóttir’s career highlights was her return to competition in 2021 after the birth of her first child, Freya. 

  • She was candid about her postpartum struggles and that there were times when she questioned whether or not she would compete again. 

At the 2021 Games, she snatched 200 pounds (much to her surprise) and took third place overall. 

[Related: Best Home Gyms]

Thorisdóttir stepped away from competition this season as she and her partner, Frederik Aegidius, welcomed their second child, Atlas.

As both a team competitor and an individual, Thorisdóttir’s legacy runs deep in the history of CrossFit. Whether or not she returns to competition, she will always be known as one of the all-time greats who helped build the sport into what it is today.

Other “Dóttirs” who competed through the years include Jenný Magnusdóttir in 2010, Helga Torfadóttir in 2011 and 2013 on a team, Björk Odinsdóttir in 2014 and 2016 on a team, and Sola Sigurðardóttir in 2016 and 2017 on a team and 2022 as an individual. 

The Bottom Line

While this seems to be the end of an era, we hope that it’s just a shift, that some of these women will return to the Games, and that we will soon welcome new up-and-comers like Bergrós Björnsdóttir and Guðbjörg Valdimarsdóttir take up the reins. 

More CrossFit News

  • Is This the Final Year for Teams at the CrossFit Games?
  • How Big Are CrossFit Games Athletes’ Legs? We Got Answers From Justin Medeiros, Arielle Loewen, and More
  • Who Won the 2024 CrossFit Games Season So Far?

Featured image: @flsportsguy (Katrin), @crossfitgames (Annie), @sarasigmunds (Sara) / Instagram

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