Two years ago, Lucy Campbell’s surgeon advised her to find a new sport, as he wasn’t confident her wrist would ever heal enough for her to return to CrossFit.
Thankfully, she didn’t heed his advice.
Last weekend, the 2022 CrossFit Games rookie from the UK defied the odds and completed her comeback by winning Wodland Fest in Málaga, Spain, and qualifying for this summer’s CrossFit Games in Albany, NY.
- Campbell concluded her weekend in Spain — the third In-Person-Qualifying-Event (IPQE) of the season — with 606 points, 58 points ahead of the second qualifier, South Korea’s Seung Yeon Choi.
Note: Italy’s Elisa Fuliano finished ahead of Choi; however, Fuliano is not eligible for the CrossFit Games as she did not compete in the 2025 CrossFit Open.
Campbell’s Journey to the 2025 CrossFit Games
After finishing 16th in the world at her first Games in 2022, Campbell began experiencing pain in her right wrist, which ultimately led to exploratory surgery where doctors discovered multiple fractures.
- Campbell was diagnosed with Kienbock’s disease, a condition in which the lunate bone in the wrist loses its blood supply, causing the bone to die. Her surgeon informed her that there was nothing else he could do except fuse her wrist, which would mean she wouldn’t be able to extend it, let alone compete in CrossFit at a high level.
Instead, Campbell sought another surgeon and underwent a second procedure in the summer of 2024, which she was told had a 70% chance of success.
Fast forward to October 2024, and Campbell not only returned to competition but also won the Marbella Championships in Spain.
Next came the prestigious TYR Wodapalooza in January 2025.
- Campbell told us her goal was just to see what it was like to be on the floor again and get an “accurate representation” of where her fitness was at against some of the fittest women in the world, including 2023 CrossFit Games champion Laura Horvath.
As it turns out, Campbell was pretty fit again — so fit that she won the whole competition. Nobody was more surprised than she was.
- “I didn’t realize that a good day for me would ever be that good. So I think it has given me the confidence that if I can show up my best on the day, that my best is objectively quite good,” Campbell said after her win in Miami.
Campbell’s win also captured the attention of the World Fitness Project (WFP), which immediately signed her as one of its 20 professional female athletes for the inaugural season this year.
As excited as Campbell was to sign with the WPF for her own “personal redemption story,” she explained that it was important for her to return to the CrossFit Games.
Two months after TYR Wodapalooza, Campbell proved she is back in a big way, finishing third worldwide in the 2025 CrossFit Open.
- Heading into Wodland Fest, Campbell was considered the frontrunner.
She didn’t disappoint: Campbell walked away from Málaga with three event wins and a second-place finish, securing an invite to her second CrossFit Games.
The Bottom Line
In just four months, Lucy Campbell has transitioned from hoping to return to the CrossFit Games to complete her “redemption story” to becoming a legitimate podium threat, both at this summer’s CrossFit Games and at the WFP’s World Fitness Finals in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.
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Featured Image: @creationbylydia / Instagram
