Laura Horvath from Hungary, 26 years old, was named the “Fittest Women on Earth” on Sunday at the NoBull CrossFit Games, beating out Canadian Emma Lawson, 18, and American Arielle Lorewen, 29. She told the crowd after the competition that she didn’t want to look like Barbie, but rather “run fast and lift heavy.”
She ran fast and lifted heavy.
Horvath was on the podium for the third time, but it was her first win. Horvath finished first in five of the 12 tests in the four-day contest, after finishing ninth in the mountain bike test. She accumulated enough scores to be at the top after the final test which included Echo Bike calories, thrusters, and overhead lunges. The weights and heights of the men are listed first; women second.
Horvath, who is 5′ 5″ and 154 lbs., notched her third event win in the Olympic Total test, putting together a 470-pound two-lift total with her clean and jerk (265 lbs.) and snatch (205 lbs.).
265 😤
Can you feel it? 🔋 🔋On her final attempt, Laura Horvath hit a huge 265-lb clean and jerk in Olympic Total, lifting a total of 470 lb (213.2 kg). pic.twitter.com/i7nckBfTMM
— The CrossFit Games (@CrossFitGames) August 6, 2023
Horvath was asked how it felt to be a role model for young girls and women in the sport. She responded: “I am just happy that my body and I can do this. I don’t look at the new Barbie movie and say, ‘Oh I want that look.’ I like to look the way I look.”
“I want to show that no matter what my body looks like, I can still do amazing things like run fast, lift heavy things, and do all of those things. I’m very happy that little girls and teenagers look up to these amazing girls because… our bodies are amazing.”
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Athletes such as Horvath redefine what it means to look beautiful, promoting healthy living, and hopefully, long life. Horvath is not like the Lizzos or anorexic models who have unnatural and unhealthy bodies. Her body radiates strength and good health, which does not diminish her femininity.
CrossFit is a popular workout method that combines “constantly changing functional movements” performed at high intensities. It was created by Greg Glassman and has over 5 million athletes in 14,000 gyms worldwide. It is largely due to the variety of workouts that take the boredom out of fitness, and the communities formed at various gyms. CrossFit affiliates are open to all fitness levels, abilities, and past experiences.
After never having participated in an exercise program, I started my CrossFit Journey when I was 55 years old. Although you won’t see me at the CrossFit Games I did participate (for fun) in the CrossFit Open in my local box where all CrossFit Games athletes begin their season. Over the years I have developed an amazing amount of strength, endurance, and bone density. My health has improved, I am feeling great and I am able to lift a lot of weights now. I have made some great friends and my confidence has skyrocketed.
Teen magazines conditioned me to believe that a thin figure was the ideal. In the last three years of my fitness journey, I’ve realized that I’d rather be a strong person than a skinny one. If I had to choose between being a frail, thin senior citizen or a strong and robust one, then I would take the latter.
