“I’m a very different person competing than I am just in day-to-day life.”
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Two-time CrossFit Games athlete Emma Cary, 18, joins the podcast in a candid interview about bouncing back from an injury, moving to Naples to train with Brute Strength as a teenager, and growing up in the CrossFit spotlight.
Cary fell in love with CrossFit at the age of 10 and after a few years of kids classes, she became serious about one day winning the CrossFit Games. With full support from her parents, Cary began training competitively and eventually moved to Naples, Florida, in 2020 to train one-on-one with Brute Strength coach Matt Torres.
After winning the Girls 14-15 division at the 2019 CrossFit Games, Cary qualified for her first Games as an individual in 2021. She was just 17 years old.
Later that year, Cary faced a back injury at the Dubai CrossFit Championship that not only knocked her out of the competition, but also forced her to step away from the 2022 season.
After a year of recovery, Cary competed at 2023 Wodapalooza, finishing third overall, and hopes to qualify for the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games.
In this episode, hear more from Cary about her difficult decision to step away from the 2022 season and how she grew both mentally and physically from that experience. Find out more about her relationship with coach Torres and how the supportive environment at Brute has helped her develop her character along with her CrossFit skills.
Also, hear from the self-described high achiever about her work ethic, misconceptions others have of her and CrossFit, and learning about herself on and off of the competition floor.
Cary recently won her second Open event, finishing Open Test 23.1 with 269 reps. Her first Open event win was Open Workout 21.2.
Additional Links
Maddie Sturt — Balancing Athletic Expectations
Cole Sager — Fatherhood and Setting an Example
