On June 14, Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr withdrew from the 2025 HYROX World Championships Pro Doubles Elite 15 race due to health concerns raised by her partner Joanna Wietrzyk.
- Toomey-Orr further explained her decision in a new video posted on her YouTube channel on Friday, June 20.
Remind me: Toomey-Orr and Wietrzyk were slated to do well in the Elite 15 Pro Doubles race after winning the Pro Women’s Doubles race in Houston and setting a new world record.
Toomey-Orr also qualified for the World Championships with her Mixed Doubles partner, James Newbury.
In the video, Toomey-Orr says that she learned the Worlds’ schedule had changed and that she’d have to compete in both races on the same day. Though not ideal, she still planned to uphold her commitments.
- “Those were the cards that I was dealt, and I made commitments to two partners prior to that, so I wasn’t going to jeopardize that,” Toomey-Orr said.
But after traveling to Australia and returning to the U.S. before Worlds, Toomey-Orr started feeling sick in the week leading up to the big races. She tapered her training, forced herself to eat despite having no appetite, and kept away from her training partners.
She went on to finish her race with Newbury, knowing she wasn’t feeling 100%. The pair ended up with a time of 56:01 and placed fifth in their division.
- “We crossed the finish line, and I was obviously not well. But for me, that didn’t matter. I literally had made an agreement and said yes that I’m going to compete with Joanna,” Toomey-Orr said.
She immediately returned to her hotel room to rest before the next race. But before she could give Wietrzyk a status update, Wietrzyk had already made the decision that the pair wouldn’t compete.
- “She explained to me why it was important that she thinks the best decision for us is to pull out for my health. I’m very grateful for that,” Toomey-Orr said.
Toomey-Orr expressed her disappointment at missing the race and apologized to her fans, family, and sponsors for not competing. If it hadn’t been for Wietrzyk’s decision, she likely would’ve raced despite her illness.
- “I do believe it was the best decision for my health, as I still don’t feel 100%, and I haven’t actually done anything physical since racing with James, because it just puts me in such a huge deficit. So I’m just trying to get healthy,” she said.
One last thing: Next for Toomey-Orr is the 2025 CrossFit Games, if she chooses to accept her invitation.
It’s unclear if she’ll compete in any HYROX races between now and August. But if anyone can do both, it’s the G.O.A.T. herself.
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Featured Image: Scott Freymond
