In sport, being a mother brings its own unique challenges. Having a child and being able to return to the top of the game is not always as easy as one would think.
Take Serena Williams, for example. She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and became arguably the greatest of all time in women’s tennis. After giving birth to her daughter Olympia in September 2017, the American reached just four Slam finals thereafter, losing all four.
Olympic sprinter Shelley-Ann Fraser Pryce, on the other hand, gave birth to son Zyon in 2017 before setting 100metres records in 2019 and 2022.
At this summer’s Paris Olympics, Great Britain had nine mothers as part of the team and seven of those went on to podium in their respective sports.
Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr is another mother who has returned to her sport and picked up where she left off.
Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr celebrates another CrossFit success with her daughter Willow
Toomey-Orr excelled in CrossFit after competing in the Olympic weightlifting competition
The 31-year-old Australian has been a revelation, winning six CrossFit titles in a row
The 31-year-old, who is competing at this year’s Rogue Invitational being held in Aberdeen over the weekend of November 8-10, has dominated the CrossFit world since announcing her arrival at the 2015 CrossFit Games — just two years after first taking up the sport — finishing second both in 2015 and 2016.
Then things really took off, with Toomey-Orr going on to win the next six CrossFit Games titles, the only athlete — male or female — to achieve the feat.
Not only that, she competed for Australia at the Rio Olympics in 2016 in the 58kg weightlifting category, snatching 82kg and clean and jerking 107kg, to place 14th overall, before taking gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with a snatch of 87kg and a clean and jerk of 114kg.
She modestly admits: ‘I would say that’s definitely a highlight but winning seven titles at the CrossFit Games has been a big achievement.’
As if those accolades weren’t enough, Toomey-Orr was also eligible for selection for the 2022 Winter Olympics as part of the two-woman bobsled team but missed out after regulations on the driver were changed.
In 2023, competing in CrossFit took a back seat when Toomey-Orr announced that she was pregnant. Though she still competed in the Open, a worldwide event that athletes use as a qualification tournament for the regional finals, Toomey-Orr would not go to the Games.
The Australian made her return to the Games this year, however, and it was business as usual as she claimed her seventh crown.
Since becoming a mother to daughter Willow, the hunger to succeed in sport has not been quelled. If anything, Toomey-Orr is hungrier than ever.
‘Absolutely (I’m as hungry as ever to win)! I have to sacrifice time with Willow in order to train and be prepared, so I want to make sure it’s worth every second I’m not with her,’ she admits.
Toomey-Orr did compete at last year’s Rogue Invitational but was not at 100 per cent following childbirth. Things are different this time.
Having won the first three Invitationals between 2019 and 2021, Toomey-Orr finished second last year to Laura Horvath, who has taken the women’s CrossFit title at the event in each of the last two iterations. Toomey-Orr will be looking to reclaim her crown.
‘I am 100 per cent more (confident) in my physical abilities this year compared to last year,’ she says. ‘Last year I was still adjusting and recovering from having Willow, there were definitely holes that I knew would affect my physical performance and recovery and I was still breastfeeding, so I will have a lot more energy this time.’
Of course, everyone is different when it comes to fitness, especially new mums. For the 31-year-old, sport and fitness have always played a role within her life, and they both had a part in her recovery.
‘I guess it really depends on the individual’s interest,’ she says. ‘However, exercise is very valuable when recovering and helping the mental state heal after such a dramatic change in the body.
‘I took my time to recover properly but started moving the body as soon as it felt comfortable to do so and it was so good for the body and mind.
‘(Women should) find something they really enjoy and don’t be afraid to put themselves out there. They have to believe in themselves and know the only opinion that matters is their own, so own the day and their actions.’
For now, Toomey-Orr looks to get acclimatised in Scotland, a far different environment to her native Australia and her home in Nashville, Tennessee.
While Scotland is a new experience for her, when it comes to her training and her outlook on competition, nothing changes.
‘I have always wanted to come to Scotland and this will be the first time ever,’ she says. ‘(I’ll train as normal). It’s just about what I think the Rogue Invitational will display.’
On having a target on her back when it comes to tournaments, she adds: ‘It’s nice that people recognise what I have done but it means nothing when we are on the floor. So I just focus on giving it my best.’
