Rogue Invitational 2024 women’s CrossFit winner Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr felt she provided of “courteous reminder of who the champ really is” at P&J Live – and would love the event to return to Aberdeen.
Australian Toomey-Orr, 31, beat Hungary’s Laura Horvath, 27, by 850 points to 790 at the end of a thrilling three-day battle between the pair, with America’s Arielle Loewen completing the podium on 570 points.
Toomey-Orr, who took time away from the sport to give birth to her first child, won back the CrossFit Games crown – her seventh title – earlier this year, with Horvath victorious in her absence in 2023.
But Horvath had also won the last two editions of the Rogue Invitational, CrossFit’s second competition.
Last year, at the Dell Diamond in Austin, Texas, on her comeback, Toomey-Orr had to settle for the runners-up spot behind the Hungarian.
However, in the Granite City, Toomey-Orr claimed her fourth Rogue Invitational win since the competition was first held in 2019.
Also bagging approximately 283,000 US dollars (£219,000), as well as the unique Rogue Invitational champions belt, she told The Press and Journal: “Last year at the Rogue Invitational, I came second, and so everyone thought that I was no longer the champ.
“I think you’re always going to have doubters no matter what athlete, in what sport, but it was just a courteous reminder of who the champ really is.
“I feel really great. I got the win, so I’m very happy with that. I feel on top of the world – I came here for a job and got it done.”
Toomey-Orr didn’t feel pressure from Laura Horvath resurgence
The battle for the women’s crown in Aberdeen intensified when, after Toomey-Orr won the first four of the nine workouts, Horvath roared back to win the next four – including a neck-and-neck duel in the penultimate event, which was three rounds of skipping, heavy one-armed dumbbell lunges and handstand walking.
But, crucially, Toomey-Orr, was relentless and made sure she came second in three of those four Horvath event victories.
She then crossed the finish line first in the ninth and final event – a taxing sequence of sandbag lifts – to secure the title.
On rival Horvath roaring back into contention on Saturday and Sunday, Toomey-Orr said: “Honestly it didn’t really bother me where she was placing or anything.
“Of course, I would’ve liked to have won the workouts, but she did very good, executed the workouts better than I did and got the wins she needed – but it wasn’t putting any pressure on me.
“I knew what I needed to do and, regardless of the workouts, I knew I was going to be able to perform – there’s not really much I can’t do.
“There were definitely workouts I won where I fumbled a few times, and things I can go home and work on for next time, but overall I’m very happy with the outcome.”
Aberdeen ‘absolutely’ should host Rogue Invitational again – Toomey-Orr
With the Rogue Invitational venturing out of the United States for the first time this year, could Aberdeen be a new home for the event going forward?
Toomey-Orr is right behind the idea after a busy and boisterous few days at P&J Live, saying: “Absolutely. It was really cool.
“The European crowd definitely like to get behind the athletes, which is really awesome, and it was just nice to be in a different environment.”
Having underlines her women’s CrossFit supremacy in the Granite City, Toomey-Orr now plans to fulfil her pre-event P&J promise to track down Nessie with husband Shane Orr and 18-month-old daughter Willow, adding: “We’re going to try to find the Loch Ness Monster, and just travel around and see what Scotland really has to offer.”
Meanwhile, the men’s CrossFit event at the 2024 Rogue Invitational was a tight affair, with plenty of potential champions in the mix.
Canadian Jeff Adler’s fourth-place finish in the sandbag lifts finale – a workout officially titled “the excavator” – saw him finish a close-third to retiring compatriot Brent Fikowski in the event, and pip the veteran to what would have been an emotional career-closing title.
After the nine events, the men’s top-five were Adler (750 points), Fikowski (715), American Jayson Hopper (670), Aussie Ricky Garard (650) and American Dallin Pepper (650) – with only Garard claiming more than one workout win.
Rogue Invitational strongman king Mitchell Hooper on his win
Canada’s Mitchell Hooper said the proudest moment of a weekend spent defending his Rogue Invitational strongman title at Aberdeen’s P&J Live was going to be a post-victory phonecall with his young daughter.
The hulking 27-year-old’s supreme consistency across Friday and Saturday’s six strongman events saw him finish on 54 points, ahead of Icelandic giant Hafthor Bjornsson (44 points) and Invergordon’s three-time World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman.
Hooper, a.k.a. “Moose”, won Saturday’s penultimate event, the yoke escalator, in a stunning 35 seconds – including virtually running with a 408kg frame on his shoulders – before pressing a 184kg circus axle barbell to a rousing reception in the finale, where only Luke Stoltman got through the lifts quicker.
World’s Strongest Man in 2023, and the 2023 and 2024 Arnold Strongman Classic winner, Hooper spoke to The Press and Journal after picking up another Rogue Invitational championship belt, and said: “I feel great. I did what I knew I could do and it always feels good to execute.
“I think there’s more personal pride in defending a title because it’s a different discipline that’s required. It’s about personal improvement and becoming the strongest version of yourself.”
Hooper was looking forward to his post-contest call home to an infant daughter who he revealed had said “Dadda” for the first time while he had been away competing in Aberdeen.
“My proudest moment this weekend? I probably haven’t done it yet – it’s probably when I get to call and say hello to her,” Hooper said.
On Saturday, reigning World’s Strongest Man Tom Stoltman, currently battling a back injury, proved his enduring class by winning the opening power drive event.
Rogue Invitational’s first strongwoman champion Carrasquillo in ‘shock’
The Rogue Invitational’s first-ever strongwoman champion, Puerto Rico’s Inez Carrasquillo, said she was “still in shock” immediately after her history-making victory – which she capped with a phenomenal 113kg circus axle barbell press.
“I don’t really know how to feel right now,” Carrasquillo admitted.
Carrasquillo thinks focusing on the “mental game” and feeding off the Aberdeen crowd were important factors in her claiming the richest purse in her sport – with both the strongman and strongwoman champions to receive around 122,000 US dollars (£94,000).
She said: “I’m usually in my head about a lot of things and not really paying attention to what I’m doing, but this weekend I focused on each event and figured out what I needed to do to win or get top-three.
“I’ve loved it so much. I love Scotland, I love the people and everyone’s been super nice.”
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