Laura Horvath
Long before becoming the “Fittest Woman on Earth” at the 2023 CrossFit Games, Rogue athlete Laura Horvath was already a model of both consistency and tenacity, seemingly destined to earn her sport’s top honor.
It all started at the Games back in 2018, when a then 21 year-old Horvath stunned the crowd in Madison with a runner-up finish in her debut appearance (only Tia-Clair Toomey was able to outperform her). Since then, the humble Hungarian has remained a perennial threat in the women’s ranks and one of the most respected athletes in the community. Over the past year, in particular, while facing the highest expectations and greatest pressure of her career, she has repeatedly risen to the occasion.
At the 2022 Rogue Invitational, Laura was at the top of her game, winning four consecutive events during one dominant stretch as she cruised past the great veteran Annie Thorisdottir and youngster Emma Lawson en route to an emotional victory. That win set the stage for the ‘23 CrossFit Games, where Horvath hoped to get over the hump after a 2nd place finish in ‘21 and 3rd place effort in ‘22. Once again, Emma Lawson put up a great challenge, but a remarkable 5 event wins ultimately propelled Horvath to 966 overall points, besting Lawson’s 919 and sealing a first-ever CrossFit Games title.
Most recently, at the 2023 Rogue Invitational, Laura notched perhaps her most impressive accomplishment to date, besting a returning Toomey in the 9th and final event of the weekend to successfully defend her title and silence any remaining doubters.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved to compete,” Horvath says, referring to her youth in Budapest, where her parents and siblings helped encourage her passion for sports. When her big brother Kris introduced her to CrossFit in 2014, Laura showed immediate promise, and within two years, the former rock climber had begun her long reign as the Fittest Woman in Hungary. Now, at long last, that claim can go global.
“Our bodies are not us. We are what’s inside.” –Laura Horvath #KADUZS
