6 days ago
Winnipeg CrossFit athlete Michalyshen hoping third time's the charm at World Games
Sydney Michalyshen is, quite literally, one of the fittest people on the planet.
That's not just a flex — the 25-year-old Winnipegger has the track record to prove it. She first qualified for the World CrossFit Games in 2021, finishing 25th out of 40 of the top female athletes from around the globe. Michalyshen earned her way back in 2022 and placed 31st.
Now, she's gearing up for a third appearance, with this year's competition set to take place next week in New York.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Winnipegger Sydney Michalyshen hopes to be crowned the 'Fittest on Earth' at this year's World CrossFit Games.
'Super cool,' Michalyshen told the Free Press this week. 'To get to a spot like that, you're really, really pumped about it.'
So what exactly is CrossFit? Think of it like an athletic buffet.
'Everything from running, biking, rowing, swimming, weightlifting, and then all the gymnastics components, too. It's kind of crazy,' she explained.
The three-day annual event, which began in 2007, puts athletes through a series of gruelling competitions — many kept secret until the last minute — with the ultimate winner crowned the 'Fittest on Earth.' Competitors have to be ready for anything.
'It's kind of like an Ironman race in that sense,' said Michalyshen.
Just getting to the final stage is no easy feat. Thousands of athletes enter the early rounds, but only the top 40 men and women — or, in this year's case, the top 30 — advance through the qualifying gauntlet. Despite her impressive results in 2021 and 2022, Michalyshen came up short in both 2023 and 2024.
Any thought that her time had passed was put to rest this past May at the last-chance qualifier. Thirty-four women were in the field that week in Texas, with just two spots up for grabs. Michalyshen finished second.
Experience is a great teacher, and she's hoping the third time really will be the charm. She'll be the lone Manitoban, and one of just four Canadian women, competing when the event kicks off Aug. 1 in Albany.
'I think the biggest thing I've learned and am taking away from the first two is there's really no need to be stressed. Like, once you make the Games, you should be really happy that you're there,' she said.
'Yes, you want to do well and, yes, it's very stressful. But I don't think I enjoyed my first two Games as much as I should have kind of looking back.'–Sydney Michalyshen
'Yes, you want to do well and, yes, it's very stressful. But I don't think I enjoyed my first two Games as much as I should have kind of looking back. I think I was too stressed, where if I had a bad event I would dwell on it for a little bit too long.'
She's a little older now, a little wiser — and still in peak condition. So where does it all come from?
'I do think a lot of it is genetics. There's a lot of people that work hard, but genetics just won't allow you do to it,' said Michalyshen, who excelled in gymnastics as a child and then began adding strength training as she developed.
A friend suggested she give CrossFit a try about seven years ago. It was love at first sight, even though not every discipline came easily.
'I'm not a natural endurance athlete, and I never did like endurance sports growing up,' she said.
'So the gymnastics and strength (competitions) in CrossFit is what I'm pretty good at and what's definitely gotten me to where I am.'
Michalyshen played volleyball at the University of Manitoba in 2018 and 2019 while studying physical education. She shifted to full-time athletics around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and now works as a personal trainer and nutrition coach at Undefeated Health & Performance on Waverley Street — where she also trains.
'People always say you need a nice blend of work-life balance — I've got none of that,' Michalyshen said with a laugh. 'But it makes it really cool and enjoyable. When I'm working, I don't even feel like I'm working. And when I'm training, it's done out of one space with a lot of the same people, who talk about it all the time and are super excited for me.'
'I think loving it, enjoying the process, is a huge thing. There's a lot of people who are really good and work super hard, but they don't really like it, to be honest.'–Sydney Michalyshen
Her biggest supporters include her parents — many will recognize her father, Jason, as a long-time public information officer with the Winnipeg Police Service — and her younger sister, Paige, who also does CrossFit.
'This is purely a hobby for her. She loves it, but she doesn't have any aspirations to compete. But she's really fit, and really good. We'll go on runs, and she's a much better runner, a much better endurance athlete than I am,' said Michalyshen.
'So she can push me in a lot of the running and rowing and stuff like that.'
Her coach, Richard Deschamps, has also played a key role in her journey.
'It honestly means so much to me. Every day I'm reminded of that, with my family helping me out and all the things they've done for me. The support has been absolutely amazing,' she said.
Her entire crew will be joining her in New York for the Games.
CrossFit competitors typically peak between the ages of 20 and 34, meaning Michalyshen is still very much in her prime.
'I think loving it, enjoying the process, is a huge thing. There's a lot of people who are really good and work super hard, but they don't really like it, to be honest,' Michalyshen said, always striving for more.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Michalyshen will be the lone Manitoban, and one of just four Canadian women, competing when the event kicks off Aug. 1 in Albany.
'And this has honestly set me up for what I want to do after. I know I want to be in the fitness space, how I want to keep living my life. It's helped so much with my emotional well-being, my mental health, learning to do hard things and seeing who I am as a person. I feel like it has made me a much better person.'
The 2025 CrossFit Games will be broadcast live on DAZN, a global sports entertainment platform that is available in over 200 countries, including Canada.
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Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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