Philly-area woman wins Fittest Adaptive Athlete on Earth Award at CrossFit Games: "It's a lot of sacrifice"
The Fittest Adaptive Athlete on Earth Award is going to a woman from the Philadelphia region who's all about overcoming challenges.
The CrossFit Games attract some of the best athletes in the world, and there are special categories for people who have certain challenges.
Lauren Taylor, who trains at the CrossFit King of Prussia gym, won the neuromuscular division this year.
"It's a lot of sacrifice," she said. "It's a lot of effort."
The dedicated athlete is back in Bridgeport recovering after winning the competition in California.
It's not obvious, but Taylor has a traumatic brain injury and damage to her spine from a horrific car crash six years ago. She still uses special devices to stabilize her leg.
"I can push the limit and really have a different outcome in life," Taylor said.
It's a life she pushes to the limits now, winning the title in her division for a second time.
"This year, I had a clean sweep of events, so I did win all seven of my workouts," Taylor said. "We had a snatch for our lift. We had some toes to bar pull ups. We had wall balls. We had pushups. We had burpees."
Taylor excels at it all. She credits the functional movements in CrossFit training, saying: "I think it has the ability to be scaled for anyone."
For Taylor, it meant accomplishing a personal best at the recent competition.
"It's happening because of four years of just applying myself and knowing that there is truly like no limitation," Taylor said.
Taylor also credits a team of coaches and supporters, along with her philosophy.
"Be uncomfortable being uncomfortable," she said. "And I think that's a step in the right direction for anyone and that can be applied to every facet of life."
With her life lesson of pushing the limits, taking on challenges can bring big benefits.
Taylor plans on competing next year and wants to help other adaptive athletes. For now, she's focused on recovering and eating some well-earned ice cream.
