Two-time fittest woman on earth Annie Thorisdottir has declined her invitation to the 2020 CrossFit Games because she is expecting a baby in August.
Thorisdottir announced at the beginning of February that she and her partner - Danish CrossFitter Frederik Aegidius - are set to welcome their first child and the Games organisers have now confirmed she will not be taking up her place at Madison.
The 29-year-old won the biggest prize in the sport in consecutive years back in 2011 and 2012, and managed 11th place last year.
Having been in CrossFit for over 10 years now, she had shown little sign of rust at The Open last autumn as she finished second to her training partner Sara Sigmundsdottir.
And the Icelander has already suggested she wants to continue in the sport after having her first child, posting to Instagram: “This doesn’t change my destination, it just alters the path.”
Games organisers also confirmed that 23-year-old Australian Maddie Sturt will take Thorisdottir’s place due to being the next athlete in line for an invite.
The top-20 competitors not to be crowned a national champion at The Open earn a place at Madison, and Sturt finished just below that cut line.
She has competed at the Games four times previously, managing 22nd place last year and 20th in 2018.
Sturt had been building up to two Sanctionals - the Australian CrossFit Championship and the Down Under CrossFit Championship - in her home country in a bid to qualify.
Although the pressure is now reduced somewhat, she will still be competing at those events.
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