Sailing Gold Medalist Enjoying CrossFit Training Success
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Her list of accomplishments is long, but a gold medal Olympic sailor isn't slowing down.
In fact, Anna Tunnicliffe is taking on a different type of challenge and is training for it here in Pittsburgh.
It's been one adventure after another for the 31-year-old.
Originally from England, she moved to Ohio at the age of 12 with a dream of being an Olympian.
In 2008, that dream came true and she earned a gold medal in sailing at the Beijing Olympics.
"When you're up on the podium, they put the medal around your neck, they play the anthem, it's almost like a dream, like you're in the clouds, like nothing is real and it's not until a couple hours later that it actually sinks in," Tunnicliffe said.
Four years later, she competed in London and placed fifth.
After that, Tunnicliffe decided to take her love for sailing to the next level with *extreme* sailing.
She recently competed in a regatta in China, but things didn't quite go as planned.
"I was looking up the race course, trying to figure out where to go and all of a sudden, we weren't moving anymore and there was a little jolt on the boat. And I looked down, and there was another boat in our boat. At that point, I was like, 'Oh no, we're sinking, this is not good,'" Tunnicliffe said.
Fortunately, help came quickly and no one was hurt.
Anna Tunnicliffe on Pittsburgh Today Live:
Nowadays, sailing isn't her only passion.
She is now a CrossFit champion. Last year, she was named the ninth fittest woman in the world.
She trains at CrossFit Mt. Lebanon on Washington Road.
"It's phenomenal to see how far human beings can push their body," Tunnicliffe said.
With so much already under her belt, what's next?
She plans to continue with CrossFit, plus she is starting up a company to help teach people how to achieve their dreams.
"I'm trying to share my ideas on how you get to where you really want to get to," Tunnicliffe said.
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