The 20-year-old is sitting out the 2025 Games season.

Last updated on February 21st, 2025

Emma Lawson, the teen phenom turned elite individual, announced on Friday that she plans to sit out of the 2025 CrossFit Open, citing a nagging injury. She is still preparing for the World Fitness Project (WFP), which kicks off its first event on May 9.

One big thing: Lawson’s announcement comes as several other individual elite athletes announced they are choosing not to participate in the Open. Lawson’s reasoning, however, differs from many of the others, who cited the aftermath of Lazar Đukić’s death as why they are sitting out the Games season. 

The details: In an Instagram story post, Lawson wrote that she’s been dealing with an injury that is preventing her from signing up and potentially putting her entire season at risk if she did compete. 

• “I know the right decision for me is to take the time my body needs to heal,” Lawson said. 

This would have been her seventh Open. 

Lawson competed in her first official Open in 2021 when she was just 16. She came in 15th place worldwide and went on to win the Teens (16-17) division that year at the 2021 Games. 

Lawson had great success at a very young age and is seen by many as the future of the women’s division. 

• At just 20 years old now, Lawson has gone to the Games four times already, with her best finish being second place in 2023. Last year, she placed 16th.

The CrossFit landscape has changed immensely following Ðukić’s death. Not only did CrossFit restructure its entire Games season, but other competitions have come to the forefront, with the most popular being the World Fitness Project.

The brainchild of veteran Games athlete Will Moorad, along with Isabella and Jackson Terry, the WFP has signed many well-known elite CrossFit athletes, including Lawson.

• “For now, I’ll be focused on getting my back healthy and preparing for the upcoming WFP season and a few other exciting events ahead,” Lawson wrote in her post. 

The bottom line: Lawson’s announcement is an example of the hard decision many of the elite athletes will be faced with this season. It’s one of the more complex seasons in history due to the Games and WFP schedules running simultaneously, and it raises a question of how much athletes are willing and able to compete. 

• The Open starts next week, while the first WFP competition, Tour Event I, starts on May 9. The following WFP Tour Event is just a little over three weeks after the 2025 Games.

While neither event is at the exact same time, athletes need to peak at particular times and taper, which can prove difficult when there are only weeks between major events. 

The 2025 season is shaping up to be unlike years past and potentially usher in a new era of the sport.

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Featured Image: @emma.lawson_5 / Instagram