Hungary’s Laura Horvath, 26, was declared the “Fittest Woman on Earth” at the NoBull CrossFit Games on Sunday, edging out Canadian Emma Lawson (18) and American Arielle Loewen (29). After the competition, she told the crowd that she doesn’t aspire to look like Barbie — she just wants to “run fast and lift heavy.”
And run fast and lift heavy she did.
It was Horvath’s third time on the CrossFit Games podium, her first time to win the competition. In the grueling contest spanning four days and 12 events, Horvath placed first in five tests after a disappointing ninth-place finish in the first test, a mountain bike ride. Ultimately, she accumulated enough points to finish at the top of the leaderboard after the final test, which combined Echo Bike calories with thrusters and overhead lunges. (The weights and heights are in parentheses; men first, ladies 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
Asked how it felt to be a role model for women and young girls in the sport, Horvath responded, “I’m just very happy that me and my body can do this, and I’m not looking at the new ‘Barbie’ movie, [saying] ‘Oh, I want to look like that.’ I want to look like what I look like.”
“I just want to prove that, whatever my body looks like, I can do these amazing things and move things from A to B and run fast and lift heavy and all those things, and I’m just very excited that female little girls, also teenagers, look up to all these amazing girls that are here because… it’s amazing what our bodies can do.”
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Athletes like Horvath are redefining what it means to be beautiful in a way that promotes healthy living and, hopefully, longevity. Unlike the anorexic supermodels and fat-positive Lizzos of the world — who are celebrated and adored for their unhealthy lifestyles and unnatural bodies — Horvath’s body exudes good health and strength that in no way diminishes her femininity.
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For those unfamiliar with CrossFit, the workouts include “constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity.” The method was developed by Greg Glassman in 2000 and boasts over five million athletes at 14,000 locations worldwide. The popularity is in large part due to the varied workouts that take the drudgery out of fitness routines, along with the communities that form at the various gyms. While the CrossFit Games focus on elite athletes, anyone can join a CrossFit affiliate, regardless of ability, past experience, or fitness level.
I began my CrossFit Journey at age 55, after having never participated in a regular exercise program. You’ll never see me in the CrossFit Games, but I did (just for fun) participate in the CrossFit Open at my local box, where all athletes in the CrossFit Games begin their season. I have gained an incredible amount of strength and endurance over the years, plus a significant boost in my bone density. My health is better, I feel great, and I can lift lots of heavy stuff now. I’ve made great friends, and my confidence is off the charts.
Growing up in the era of supermodel Twiggy (the name says it all), I was conditioned by teen magazines to view a rail-thin figure as the ideal. Over the last three years of my fitness journey, I’ve come to realize that I’d rather be strong than skinny. If given the choice between being a thin, frail senior citizen and a strong, robust one, I’ll take the latter.
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