Thorisdottir Declines Games Invitation, Sturt Accepts

As expected, the two-time “Fittest Woman on Earth”, Annie Thorsidottir has declined her 2020 CrossFit Games invitation. The CrossFit Games website made it official through a press release on Thursday.

Thorisdottir and her partner Frederik Aegidius made the announcement that they are expecting a child three weeks ago. With the due date in August, it was just a matter of time that Thorisdottir would decline her invitation.

One big thing: In the Games press release, it was also announced that Maddie Sturt would receive Thorisdottir’s invitation through the backfill process.

• Sturt posted in her instagram story that she received and accepted the invitation.

• For the 23-year old Sturt, this will be her fifth Games appearance. Last year she finished 22nd and qualified for the Games after finishing second at the Australian CrossFit Championship. Her best finish was at the 2018 Games where she placed 20th.
• This year’s invite comes via the CrossFit Games Worldwide Open where she had her best finish in her career at 38th. Initially, her placing was below the cutline for the top-20 automatic qualifiers that were not national champions. Thorisdottir finished second in the Open but because she was not a national champion, her Games spot would go to the next highest finisher in the Open below the cutline.
• Sturt originally had planned to earn her invite through Sanctionals. She competed at the SouthFit CrossFit Challenge in December finishing second. The Australian native still plans on competing at the two Sanctionals in her country, next week’s Australian CrossFit Championship and the Down Under CrossFit Championship in May.

Iceland Annie’s streak: Thorisdottir has competed in ten CrossFit Games, tied for the most individual division appearances by a women’s athlete with Becca Voigt Miller.

• In terms of Games invitations, she leads all women with 11 including this year’s invite.
• Her streak of consecutive Games appearances ends at six.
• Thorisdottir’s first Games appearance was in 2009 and since then she has racked up five podium finishes which ties her with Tia Clair Toomey for first all-time among women athletes.