Of Moms and Masters Athletes: 6 Inspiring Women Who Just (Unofficially) Qualified for the CrossFit Semifinals
Qualifying for the CrossFit Semifinals is no easy feat. You could even argue that earning an invitation to Semifinals in the most competitive regions of the world — North America West and East, Europe, and Oceania — is just as hard as it was to qualify for the CrossFit Games 10 years ago.
And while we generally pay attention mostly to the top of the leaderboard, it’s worth noting some great performances by veteran women who are fitter than ever after more than a decade of CrossFit and who have now (unofficially) punched their Semifinals ticket.
Jamie Hagiya: 39th in North America West
Jamie Hagiya, 39, started competing in CrossFit 11 years ago in 2013. She knocked on the door at the California Regional for three seasons before breaking through and qualifying for the CrossFit Games in 2016.
The owner of Torrance Training Lab, Hagiya, once known for her pure strength, competed at the Games again in 2018 with a team, but then it seemed she shifted her focus away from high-level competition. And in some ways, from fitness altogether.
In fact, during the pandemic, Hagiya found herself doing very little fitness. Her diet fell apart, and she was incredibly open on social media about packing 20 pounds onto her 5-foot-2 frame.
“I’m a normal person. I like to eat good food and socialize with my family with food. Things always revolve around food, and just because I competed at the Games, I’m no different than anyone else. I still have to work hard to find that balance,” she told the Morning Chalk Up during the pandemic.
Even though Hagiya’s social media today often shows her goofing around with a basketball or attempting circus-type strength tricks, her Quarterfinals result clearly suggests she has also been finding the time to train hard.
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She admitted she was even surprised by her result.
“I’m literally in shock and don’t believe it. I was only hoping to make the top 200 in my age group of 35-39. When my coach called me last night to say I made Semis I was speechless,” she said, adding that she has only been training hard for the last six months.
She added: “If [I get an invite], it’s in my backyard here in Carson, and the last time I was there was the 2016 Games, so that’s kinda cool and really hard to pass up. I don’t know if I’ll ever make it again as an individual, so it looks like I’ll accept.”
Kelsey Kiel: 8th in North America West
At 33 and with 10 years of CrossFit competition experience, Kelsey Kiel is a veteran of the sport, but much of that experience has been focused on team competitions. (She has competed on a team at the CrossFit Games five times between 2016 and 2023).
Kiel has only competed once at Regionals as an individual — in 2017 — and these were her first individual Quarterfinals.
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So, for Kiel to place eighth in North America West and 56th worldwide (unofficially) is more than just worth noting, considering her lack of individual competition experience. After 10 years of largely team experience, this veteran might just be a legitimate individual Games contender this season.
Alethea Boon: 16th in Oceania
At 40 years old, it seemed three-time Australian CrossFit Games athlete Alethea Boon had moved away from competing in CrossFit in favor of participating in Australian Gladiators.
But here she is, seven years since her last individual CrossFit Games appearance, now a mother of a 16-month-old baby girl, contending with the best athletes in Oceania.
Though she still has a way to climb in Oceania to claim a Games berth out of Semifinals, don’t count out Boon’s experience (or her newfound mom strength.)
Andrea Nisler: 27th in North America West
It wouldn’t normally be a surprise to see the two-time CrossFit Games team champion (and eight-time team Games competitor) place this high in Quarterfinals; however, the 35-year-old gym owner of Timberwolf CrossFit in St. Paul, MN, is only six weeks postpartum. On March 13, Andrea Nisler gave birth to her first child, a baby girl named Riley.
Nisler is also currently fifth on the worldwide leaderboard (unofficially) in the women’s 35-39-year-old division.
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It’s unclear what her plans are for this season. But to bounce back as quickly as she has suggests it’s certainly likely that she could be a contender this summer at the Masters CrossFit Games by Legends should she go for it.
Janine Shillington: 36th in North America West
While Janine Shillington — the owner of VO2 Max Health and Performance in Grande Prairie, AB — has been fit for a long time, the 41-year-old says she is the fittest she’s ever been.
Shillington started CrossFit in 2010, competed at Regionals six times starting in 2012, and at the Games in 2018 in the Women’s 35-39-year-old division. Needless to say, to see this mother of two (unofficially) qualify for Semifinals at 41 is seriously impressive.
Unlike Hagiya, though, Shillington said she was training this year in hopes of qualifying for Semifinals.
“I’m pumped. Last year, I took a year off with a knee injury, so I was very hungry this year. Waiting for the invite and then I’ll celebrate,” she said.
Worth noting: Hope Cicero is the only other 41-year-old currently in the top 40 on the Quarterfinals leaderboard in North America West, East, or Europe.
Brooke Tuatao: 34th in Oceania
At the age of 43, New Zealand’s Brooke Tuatao — who has been competing as an age group athlete since 2017 — is the oldest athlete, male or female, to place in the top 40 (unofficially) in Oceania, Europe, North America West, or North America East.
A mother, owner of three gyms, and a part-time athlete, Tuatao said she loves training and was “just hoping that this year would be enough.”
The Bottom Line
In many ways, Semifinals are the new CrossFit Games in 2024.
At least they are for veteran Hagiya, who is waiting to accept her invitation to Semifinals so she can compete on the big stage as an individual for the first time since 2016.
The same is true for Boon, Shillington, and Tuatao, all of whom are proving that it’s possible to become fitter than ever after becoming mothers and hitting their 40s (and, in Nisler’s case, at 35 and six weeks postpartum).
As for Kiel, she just might have a legitimate chance of punching her first individual ticket to the CrossFit Games after nearly a decade of making a name for herself on the team side of the sport.
Featured image: @livbehindthelenses / Instagram