After finishing 11th worldwide at the 2026 CrossFit Games, UTS Young Leader Gia Griffith is emerging as one of her generation’s most exciting young athletes. Her success also carries a wider message for every girl who has been made to question whether strength belongs to her.
At just 15, United States athlete and UTS Young Leader Gia Griffith left the 2026 CrossFit Games ranked 11th in the world in the Girls 14 – 15 division. The number captures the scale of her achievement, but not everything it took to reach it. A year earlier, in her first appearance at the Games, Gia finished 22nd. In 2026, she returned stronger, more experienced and ready to compete with the best young CrossFit athletes in the world. She ranked 11th across the North America East region during the CrossFit Open before carrying that momentum onto the sport’s biggest stage.
“I felt good about my placement, but I was still very hungry for more,” Gia said.
That ambition is not a rejection of what she has already achieved. It is a reflection of the standard she has set for herself and the possibilities she can now see ahead.
“I know this is only a stepping stone as I keep moving forward toward the top five and the podium.”
The clearest demonstration of Gia’s progress came during Reboot Part B, an event involving the SkiErg. She finished second, earning the highest individual event placement of her CrossFit Games career. The performance was built through repetition, preparation and a willingness to trust the strategy developed with her mother and coach.
“I’m most proud of how I did on Reboot Part B, the SkiErg” Gia said. “For once, I really followed the plan all the way through, which is something I usually struggle with. A bonus was that it was my mom’s strategy, and it paid off.”
She had repeated the workout around five times in training. When the moment arrived, that preparation showed.
“I got 2nd place in that event, which was the highest event placement I’ve ever had at the Games. I was really happy that all the hard work of repeating that workout about five times in training finally showed.”
Building a Different Kind of Strength
Gia’s journey did not begin with CrossFit. Long before she reached the world stage, she was developing the foundations of her athletic ability through gymnastics, martial arts, powerlifting and weightlifting. Each sport gave her something different. Gymnastics developed the body awareness and upper-body control required for complex CrossFit movements. Powerlifting and weightlifting taught her technique while building the strength and explosive power needed to compete at an elite level.
“Gymnastics gave me the body awareness and upper-body strength to learn CrossFit skills like handstand walks, handstand push-ups, and muscle-ups much faster,” Gia explained. “Powerlifting and weightlifting taught me the right technique and helped me build the strength and power to improve those skills even more.”
Together, those experiences have shaped an athlete whose strength cannot be measured through one result or one lift. It can be seen in her coordination, discipline and ability to apply lessons from one sport to another. It can also be seen in the way she speaks about being a girl in sporting spaces where strength has traditionally been associated with boys and men.
“I understand that some girls don’t feel strong and grow up in a space where girls are supposed to be the weaker ones,” Gia said. “Some don’t want to strength train because they’re afraid they’ll get ‘too muscular’ or people will make mean comments.”
These messages can begin long before a girl enters a gym. They shape how girls are encouraged to move, how much space they feel permitted to occupy and how they are taught to think about their bodies. Strength becomes something to fear or minimise rather than something to develop.
Gia’s career offers a different way of seeing it.
“All the sports I’ve done over the years have helped me become stronger, more confident, and shown me that it’s not just guys who can lift heavy weights or be strong,” Gia said. “There are girls out there, like me, who can do those things too.”
For Gia, strength training is not simply about physical performance. It can provide an emotional outlet, develop confidence and help girls appreciate what their bodies can achieve rather than judging them by how they look.
“At the end of the day, strength training can be a way to release all the emotions you’ve kept hidden throughout the day, help you feel stronger and more confident, and even lower your chances of getting injured because your body becomes stronger.”
The Work Behind the World Ranking
Gia’s success rests on a training schedule that requires an extraordinary level of discipline. Her day begins with approximately an hour of skills training before school. She then moves between schoolwork, strength training, plyometrics and cardio.
“I usually do about an hour of skills training in the morning before school,” Gia explained. “Then I do around 2.5 hours of schoolwork, go to the gym for about an hour of strength training, come back and do another hour of schoolwork, then do about an hour of plyometrics. After school, I finish the day with some cardio.”
The schedule is demanding, but Gia has learned to create room for both her education and her athletic development.
“It definitely takes discipline, but I’ve learned how to balance school and training.”
Behind that discipline is a family that has helped Gia build both the physical and mental foundations of her career. Her mother introduced her to CrossFit and the other sports she practised growing up. As a coach, she has guided the technical side of Gia’s development and created the strategy behind some of her strongest performances. Her father has helped cultivate her competitive mindset and determination to keep improving.
“My mom and dad have both inspired me equally, just in different ways,” Gia said. “My mom got me into CrossFit and the other sports I did growing up. Since she’s a coach, she taught me everything I needed to know to get where I am today.”
Growing with the UTS Family
Gia’s relationship with United Through Sports began when she represented powerlifting as a UTS Youth Ambassador. Since then, we have had the privilege of watching her grow from a talented young athlete into a determined competitor and inspiring Young Leader. In a remarkably short space of time, she has progressed from her early years in strength sports to competing among the world’s leading teenage CrossFit athletes.
Despite her young age, Gia has a clear sense of what she wants to achieve and pursues each ambition with discipline, confidence and purpose. The support of her parents has remained an important pillar of strength throughout that journey, helping her develop both as an athlete and as a young person. We are incredibly proud to have Gia as part of the UTS family. Her achievements are exceptional, but it is her determination, courage and ability to inspire other young people that make her such an important UTS Young Leader. As Gia continues towards her next goal, she is also helping other girls see that strength is something they can embrace, celebrate and make entirely their own.
