Torquay training partners chase CrossFit Games dream together

FOUR athletes from Torquay will test themselves against the country’s best at the 2026 Torian Pro.

Christina Grant, Michael Greene, Angie Demeray and Lauren Lovick have qualified for the event, which could earn them a ticket to the CrossFit Games.

The quartet train together at Bells Beach Performance Hub and said having the support from one another at the gym has made preparing for the event even more enjoyable.

After sustaining a back injury in January, Greene’s plan is simple: survive the competition.

In what will be his Torian debut, he is hopeful to climb the leaderboard throughout the competition. Having qualified in eighth position, he said anything higher would be a win.

After being a gymnast as a child, Greene said CrossFit felt like a way to reconnect with some of those skills and has become an important part of his identity.

“CrossFit and surfing are the two sports that I’ve done in adulthood that I genuinely want to do,” Greene said.

“It makes a huge difference. I’m here because I want to be and I’m here because I want to improve. You’ve got such a broad range of things that you can test and improve on; it’s just a never-ending cycle. It’s fun.”

Lovick first found herself in a CrossFit gym 10 years ago after an old boyfriend convinced her to give it a try.

She said it was love at first sight.

“Pretty quickly I was coming more often than him and I’ve been training pretty hard ever since,” she said.

Training at least two-and-a-half hours a day in the lead-up to Torian, Lovick said she finds satisfaction in continuing to improve.

Working as a healthcare professional, training and competing has become an important outlet for her.

“It really helps work-life balance and de-stressing, especially when you have a pretty tough job like working in healthcare,” Lovick said.

“I definitely find that I feel set up for the day if I’ve been to the gym first off.”

With almost 15 years in CrossFit, Demeray said the focus on functional fitness in the sport has kept her engaged. A trainer herself, competition is just one – admittedly exciting and nerve wracking – part of it.

“It’s about taking care of your body,” Demeray said.

“People think when they walk into a gym it is going to be crazy competitive, but it’s actually just about what you need and what you want out of exercise and why you’re here, whether for sport or to just exercise.”

Nerves have started to really build for Grant, who is focusing on being realistic in her goals.

“We’re up for the opportunity to have a games ticket and the idea of even being able to compete for a CrossFit Games ticket is phenomenal,” she said.

“I’ve got a 3 in 16 chance; I’m very realistic but that would be the ultimate goal. Other than that, a heat win would be really cool.”

Grant said the constant opportunity to learn, improve and master new skills has kept her hooked on the sport.

“That’s what I love about it,” she said. “You’re always, always learning and you always feel better for it.”

Torian Pro runs from 22-24 May in Brisbane, Queensland and features the best CrossFit athletes from Oceania, competing for a spot in the 2026 CrossFit Games in California.