</s>AUSTRALIAN Tia-Clair Toomey has won the CrossFit Games at her third attempt to be declared the fittest woman on earth.

The 24-year-old Queensland’s emotional victory in Madison, Wisconsin came after she finished runner-up in 2015 and 2016.

Toomey, also a weightlifter who represented Australia at last year’s Rio Olympics, finished the gruelling four-day event on 994 points to sneak home ahead of compatriot Kara Webb.

Annie Thorisdottir of Iceland was third.

Toomey opened the Games with an impressive showing in the Run Swim Run — a 500 metre swim, sandwiched between a pair of 1.5 mile runs — winning that event to sit atop the leaderboard after the first workout.

After admirable finishes in several of the following events, Toomey got the best of her compatriot Webb to win the Muscle-Up Clean Ladder workout. Toomey’s eighth place finish in the Fibonacci Final — the last workout of the tournament — was enough to see her earn the tight, two-point edge over Webb.

“I have phenomenal athletes to compete against,” Toomey said after being named the victor.

“Ever since I started CrossFit, Kara Webb and Annie (Thorisdottir) were everything. So just to be right next to me on the floor... I’m a bit overwhelmed....it’s just so nice.”

The CrossFit Games, regarded as one of the toughest sporting events on the planet, test competitors’ strength, speed and endurance in a series of gruelling workouts.

Defending champion Matt Fraser of the US retained the men’s title with the most dominant performance in the event’s history.</s>Mat Fraser repeated as men's champion in dominating fashion, and Tia-Clair Toomey barely held off Kara Webb to win the women's competition Sunday at the 11th CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin.

Fraser, of Colchester, Vermont, finished in the top three in each of the three events held Sunday -- including a victory in the 2233 Intervals -- to become the fourth competitor (and second male) to win back-to-back CrossFit Games titles. Fraser, who finished second overall in 2014 and 2015, finished with 1,132 points, 216 more than Brent Fikowski of Canada, who moved up from third overall to second with three top-four finishes Sunday.

The women's title came down to the last event. Webb finished seventh in the Fibonacci Final, but only 0.19 seconds ahead of Toomey (eighth), who wound up with 994 points, two more than Webb.

Toomey, who competed in weightlifting for Australia in the 2016 Olympic Games, started the day leading countryman Kara Webb by 14 points and had the highest-placed event performance of either woman Sunday -- third in the Madison Triplet. But Webb drew closer by finishing fourth in the 2233 Intervals.

Iceland's Annie Thorisdottir, who in 2011 and 2012 became the first woman to win the CrossFit Games twice, finished second in the final two events Sunday and placed third with 964 points. Australia's Ricky Garard (834 points) finished third in his first CrossFit Games.</s>Tia-Clair Toomey’s impressive physique is making many fitness enthusiasts realize they are not putting in enough work at the gym.

For Tia Toomey — as some call her, for short — the third time is the charm; the “Fittest Woman on Earth” has finally gotten her moment in lights — this time at the top. The Aussie dominated the 2017 CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin and can finally put the “runner up” curse behind.

Tia won the competition by the slimmest of margins (two points) after placing second in the 2015 and 2016 Games. The Queenslander super athlete was overcome by emotion as she competed in fitness events over four days: running, jumping and lifting — the latter, her specialty.

The CrossFit Games event is a competition for elite athletes who participate in exhausting contests that unveil the fittest man and woman on the planet. Having launched in 2007, the contest has become “one of the fastest growing sports in America,” as Forbes wrote in a previous article.

Called even more grueling than Ironman contests, triathlons, and other tests of fitness, CrossFit uses a variety of movements that test agility and robustness rather than train for the same. The Games Toomey took part in is less of a program for fitness than it is to discover — through tests — the fittest woman — or man – on Earth.

In the end, Tia Toomey amassed 994 total points. Kara Webb, a fellow Aussie, took second place and Annie Thorisdottir placed third on the podium. Tia’s road to victory was no walk in the park, according to Box Rox.

Toomey breezed her way to first place in the run-swim-run event. She then prevailed in the muscle-up clean ladder competition and placed second in the one-arm snatch (1RM).

On her victory, Tia Toomey shared how it feels to raise her performance from the two previous CrossFit Games. “Ten times better. Like 100 times better. Last year I was truly honored to be on that podium. This year, I knew I had to believe in myself,” she said.

Toomey praised her fellow Aussie competitors, saying she was empowered by their presence at the CrossFit Games.

“I have phenomenal athletes to compete against. Ever since I started CrossFit, Kara Webb and Annie (third-placed Thorisdottir of Iceland) were everything. So just to be right next to me on the floor, I’m a bit overwhelmed, it’s just so nice.”

Congratulations Tia-Clair Toomey for winning the 2017 CrossFit Games and becoming the Fittest Woman On Earth.</s>Australia's Tia-Clair Toomey has been named the world's fittest woman after winning the gruelling CrossFit Games on her third attempt.

The 24-year-old edged out fellow Australian Kara Webb, 27, by just two points to claim gold at the four-day event in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Queensland native represented her country at the Rio Olympics, coming 14th by lifting 107kg, but was far more pleased with her victory on Monday morning.

'Ten times better. Like, 100 times better,' she said when asked by organisers.

Toomey, who weighs just 58kg, finished 30 points ahead of the third placed woman, 27-year-old Icelandic Annie Thorisdottir.

She started her campaign by winning the first stage, a 500-metre swim between two 1.5 mile runs, followed by strong finishes in cycling and lifting competitions to sit on top after day one.

Toomey also won the Muscle-Up Clean Ladder on day three before finishing seventh in the last event, the Fibonacci Final - a series of handstand pushups and deadlifts.

Competitors are scored out of 100 for each of the 13 events depending on where they finished - the winner getting 100 and second receiving 94 points - with Toomey getting 994.

'Last year I was truly honored to be on that podium. This year, I knew I had to believe in myself,' Toomey said of bettering her two second-place finishes.

The gym owner from Gladstone also paid tribute to the elder rival she pipped at the post.

'I have phenomenal athletes to compete against... When I first started CrossFit, I looked up to Kara Webb,' she said.

'I'm so overwhelmed right now, I don't know what I'm saying.'

Webb congratulated Toomey on her victory, saying the compatriots competed with each other throughout the games.

'When you put two Aussie chicks together like that, we don’t know how to hold back,' she said.

'We love our sport. We love our country. I feel so incredibly proud of Tia and myself... I'm sure there are a lot of drinks being thrown around back home.'

CrossFit tests every aspect of competitors' fitness from aerobic endurance to weightlifting and a variety of gym exercises.

It was described by Forbes as 'one of the fastest growing sports in America' and the Games have run every year since 2007.

'During your career there is very little time to sit down and reflect because life doesn't stop, a week later you're back into training, training for the next season,' Toomey said of her rigourous training regime.

Now after getting so close twice, it has paid off.</s>MADISON (WKOW) -- One man and one woman will be crowned the fittest on earth. Sunday is the fourth and final day of the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games at the Alliant Energy Center.

The events begin at 9:00 a.m. As with the previous days of competition, individual men and women as well as teens, masters and teams will participate in various challenges. An event for the individuals is named in honor of the host city, the Madison Triplet. The other event for the individuals is to be announced.

If you're heading downtown to the CrossFit Games or for any other reason, traffic will be heaviest when the games begin in the morning and when they're scheduled to wrap up at about 6:00 p.m.</s>American Mat Fraser extended his lead in the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games, winning two events and finishing second in another on the next-to-last day of competition Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.

Fraser has a 176-point advantage over Noah Ohlsen entering the final day. Brent Fikowski is third.

Aussie Tia-Clair Toomey, the first-day leader among the women, was back atop the leaderboard Saturday but only by 14 points over Kara Webb. Sara Sigmundsdottir is third.

Organizers have announced one event for Sunday in the individual competitions: Madison Triplet -- five round of 450-meter runs, followed by 11 hay bale clean burpees. What is a hay bale clean burpee, you ask? It means picking up a hay bale (100 pounds for men, 70 pounds for women), pushing it over a hay bale wall, doing a burpee (a squat thrust), leaping over the wall, and then repeating that 10 times.

Watch live streaming of the final day of competition online at CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App -- available on mobile phone, tablet and select OTT devices (includes Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One and Windows 10). The actions starts at 9:45 a.m. and wraps up about 7:45 p.m.</s>CROSSFIT: Olympic weightlifter Tia-Clair Toomey can lay claim to being the fittest woman on Earth after snaring a breakthrough victory at the CrossFit Games.

After finishing runner-up in the past two editions, the Maroochy River product won this year's gruelling four-day competition with a gutsy performance in Madison, Wisconsin.

She finished on 994 points, just two points ahead of compatriot Kara Webb, after taking part in a series of strength and endurance events.

The 24-year-old lifted for Australia at the Rio Games last year but she said winning in the United States was something else.

"Ten times better. Like 100 times better,” she said via the The CrossFit Games official website.

She won the run swim run and the muscle-up clean ladder and claimed a string of other consistent places amid 13 events.

Toomey, who is now based in Gladstone but still calls the Sunshine Coast home, owns a gym and only started weightlifting in earnest less than three years ago.

There was a tense wait for Toomey to be declared the winner and she was in tears when interviewed.

"I have phenomenal athletes to compete against,” she said via the event website's live stream.

"Ever since I started CrossFit, Kara Webb and Annie (Thorisdottir) were everything, so just to be right next to me on the floor...

When asked what the difference was this year, compared to her second placings from the previous two editions she said: "To be honest, it's from all my supporters.”

Toomey was Australia's top-ranked female weightlifter last year, when she finished 14th at the Olympics.

She snatched 82 kg and clean-and-jerked 107 kg there.</s>By all accounts, Madison made a strong debut as host of the Reebok CrossFit Games. Participants tell 27 News that they were impressed with the city. “Madison is so warm,” said Sigmundur Eythorson is from Iceland. “You see the people, you see the smiles. You feel so welcome here.”

Crossfit organizers claim the 4 day event, which ended Sunday, brought in at least $7 million in direct spending. “I’ve heard from grocery stores, restauarants and CrossFit affiliates that they’ve been busy,” said Madison Area Sports Commission Vice President Jamie Patrick.

Madison will host the CrossFit Games for the next two years.</s>MADISON (WKOW) -- As the final day of the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games wrap up in Madison, visitors from across the world say they're impressed with the state's capital city.

Throughout the weekend, the CrossFit Games saw at least 16,000 spectators a day to the Alliant Energy Center, including many who've traveled thousands of miles to see the fittest athletes compete.

"It's been really exciting," said Kristen Antioho, who drove five hours in from Grand Rapids, Michigan, enjoyed her first time in Madison. "It's been awesome, our hotel is downtown right by the Capitol so we were able to walk around see the farmers market, see some local night life, it's been really cool."

Many visitors drove up to Madison from across North America, including some who flew overseas.

"It's about 35 to 37 hours [trip]," said Booth, who has always wanted to see the games in person. "To actually come here and be part of this whole festival and to experience Madison as as well, it's well worth the trip."

Another group that flew overseas is the family of CrossFit Games competitor from Iceland, Sara Sigmundsdottir.

"Madison is so warming, you see the people, you see the smiles and everything is going well, you feel so welcome here," said Sigmundur Eythorson, Sigmundsdottir's father.

Madison Area Sports Commission Vice President Jamie Patrick says the games have had a big financial impact on the city.

"I've heard from grocery stores, from restaurants, from CrossFit affiliates that they've been busy this week and have had just a great time," said Patrick.

Patrick says the games brought in at least $7,000,000 in direct spending alone. He, along with CrossFit officials, are looking at ways to keep CrossFit an integral part in Madison.

"We're going to continue to look at ways that we can embrace the event and hone it and make it feel special and spectacular and help the rest of our community aware," said Patrick.

Madison will host the CrossFit Games until, at least, 2019.
Mathew Fraser and Tia-Clair Toomey win the 2017 CrossFit Games in Madison, Wisconsin, and claim the title of Fittest on Earth for individual men's and women's respectively.