When Hattie Kanyo graduated high school, she watched her peers accept their college offers and move into their dorms. Everyone seemed to have their lives figured out, but she stayed behind.
It’s not that she hadn’t thought of college — in fact, she was offered a scholarship to play college rugby. The uncertainty she felt when choosing a career unnerved her, so she turned down the scholarship and worked random jobs from pizza delivery to night shifts at Walmart to pay her bills.
That led her down an unhealthy path with drugs and alcohol.
A Career in CrossFit
One day, Kanyo’s brother took her to their local YMCA and introduced her to fitness.
“I kind of fell in love right there and then,” she said.
For the first time, she had found an interest that she could turn into a career. So, Kanyo attended the University of Lethbridge for exercise science in hopes of becoming a personal trainer.
While in school, she joined the cross-country and soccer teams, and when she was not in class or at practice, Kanyo found herself in the college gym playing around with skills she found online, such as handstand push-ups and handstand walking.
This caught the attention of her biomechanics professor, Ian Bennett, who was an avid CrossFit athlete at a local affiliate in Lethbridge, Alberta.
“You need to try CrossFit. You’re a runner, you’re a soccer player, and you’re trying all this weird stuff,” he told her.
Kanyo’s first reaction was, "Absolutely not.” So for two years, she rejected the idea. But, she still found herself dabbling with CrossFit movements in the college gym. Soon, she started buying CrossFit shoes and attire.
In 2017, she finally decided it was time to try a CrossFit class.
“They thought I had done CrossFit before. They saw my shoes, they saw my shorts,” Kanyo joked. “I fell in love ever since.”
Kanyo learned that not only could she create a career through CrossFit, but she could also compete. Straight away, she attended a Level 1 Certificate Course and joined the coaching staff at her gym.
Photo courtesy of Hattie Kanyo on Instagram
Firefighting and Fitness
After graduating college in 2014, Kanyo’s ex-boyfriend introduced her to wildland firefighting, a seasonal career that paid well and an exciting new challenge to take on.
Kanyo signed up for wildland firefighting training at the Hinton Training Centre and joined a crew in High Level, Alberta, the furthest north district and a 13-hour drive from her home.
For the next six years, Kanyo spent April through September fighting wildland fires.
“I’m the type of person who, if you tell me I can’t do something, I will do it,” she said. “When I went up there, a lot of the guys kind of looked at me like, ‘Mm, that’s just so-and-so’s girlfriend. She won’t make it very far up here.’”
So Kanyo put her head down and worked hard to prove them wrong. By her third year, she became one of the first female leaders and led crews for the next four years.
During her second season, after just discovering CrossFit, she decided to lessen her drinking and dial in her fitness while on shift. Kanyo’s commitment to her fitness influenced her fellow firefighters to also adopt healthier lifestyles.
“All of a sudden some of these other firefighters were like, ‘I want to get fit, I want to work out.’
We would all do workouts together. Then all of a sudden by the third year, everyone was working out.”
The crew banded together to create makeshift equipment for their CrossFit workouts. They attached a board across two trees to hang gymnastics rings. They asked their department for a rower and an Assault bike. Kanyo built a platform to clean and snatch on, and one of her sponsors gifted barbells and plates.
“It was really cool seeing all of the other firefighters going from super hardcore partiers to wanting to get super fit,” she said.
At the end of the firefighting season, Kanyo would return to her CrossFit gym and coach in the offseason. Between coaching CrossFit athletes and mentoring firefighters, she discovered her true calling.
Building Confidence
In 2019, Kanyo retired from firefighting to pursue a full-time career in competitive CrossFit and coaching.
During her first three years in CrossFit, Kanyo had success in local competitions, but when she thought about qualifying for the CrossFit Games, Kanyo doubted herself against the legends already dominating.
“No way. You aren’t good enough and you never will be,” her mind told her.
But during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, she started to drink again and gain weight. When traveling just started to open up again, she flew to Bali and lived there for the next 10 months, resetting her routine and dialing in her training again.
Upon returning to Canada, Kanyo qualified for the 2022 Atlas Games Semifinals, finishing just three spots out of a Games-qualifying position.
“That is when my confidence started building a little bit. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m with some of these really strong girls… . If I can hang with some of these girls, in a couple more years of putting my head down, I can do this.’”
Sure enough, just two years later, Kanyo had a ticket to her first CrossFit Games in hand after finishing the 2024 North America West Semifinal in fourth place. She finished the season as the 18th fittest woman in the world.
Hattie Kanyo at the 2024 CrossFit Games | Photo by Charlotte Foerschler
A Gamble for Gold
In January 2025, Kanyo sustained a shoulder injury while competing at an off-season competition. Despite the injury, she still qualified in 95th place worldwide in the 2025 CrossFit Open. But, to heal properly in hopes of continuing on in the season, her coaches told her she had to rehab as long as possible.
This meant skipping The Fittest Experience In-Person Qualifier and the In-Affiliate Semifinals, giving Kanyo only one shot at qualifying for the 2025 CrossFit Games at the Northern California Classic in June.
“Last year, you only had one chance,” her coach told her. She would have just one chance again this year.
With six top-10 event finishes and an event win in Heavy Isabel, Kanyo finished the weekend with 64.5 points, good for second place, securing her the final ticket to the 2025 CrossFit Games.
“I can easily say the mental side of things is tougher than the physical. Don't get me wrong, this is an extreme physical sport and is hard as hell, but when the mind isn't right, all sorts of things can go wrong,” Kanyo said in an Instagram post. “A quick call to Brett Piperni and he was able to help me get my 🧠 right. I appreciate you more than you know.”
A decade ago, Kanyo had no idea where her life was going. Now, as she prepares for her second CrossFit Games, she is ready to enjoy the experience, regardless of her placement. Kanyo stands as proof that success does not always start with certainty.
Watch Kanyo compete at the 2025 CrossFit Games live in Albany, New York, from Aug. 1-3. Single and multi-day tickets are available.