Back in December, Emma Tall said she was “most likely” not going to compete in the 2025 CrossFit Games season. Two months later, Tall has officially announced she’s out. In a statement on Instagram, Tall shared the news.
The statement, similar to that of Pat Vellner, Chandler Smith, Jelle Hoste and others, pointed to the 2024 CrossFit Games as the reason for skipping the 2025 season.
Tall’s official statement:
“We all lost Lazar at the CrossFit games [sic] last year, many of us lost a friend. Lazar drowned very close to the finish line, people watched him struggle both in the audience and on the livestream, myself and many others swam over him while it was still time to save his life.
But there was nothing and no one in place to help anyone. There was no lifeguards. There were volunteers on paddle-boards.
I understand that this is still looked at as an accident but what if it was you and your partner, parent or friend would have watched you struggle like Lazar did and no one was there to help you? Or the other way around. What if you would have watched your child, partner or friend struggle in the water and no one helped?
Would you still see it as an accident? Would your family or friends look at this as an accident?
The day after the games 2024 I said that I will not participate in the CrossFit games season next year unless some significant changes were made and responsibilities were taken. I was in shock, heartbroken and so very angry when I said that, but nothing has changed about how I feel.
I have not spoken a lot about this since that day, not because I haven’t been sure about how I feel but because I wanted to keep the hope that change was going to happen. Since that day I’ve gradually been more and more disappointed, to the point where I have no desire to compete through the Games season this year.
I still have a desire to compete against the best but I don’t believe that I can be at my best in that environment. The environment where they failed us in the worst possible way, where no one was held responsible and no explanation to why was given.
Change is difficult and we often try to avoid it because it is challenging and scary. I try to live by: Don’t expect others to change if you’re not willing to change yourself.
So I have decided to make the change myself and not be a part of it.
I believe that that’s the only voice that could possibly be heard and if not I have no interest to come back.
I will still compete this season, probably more than any other season I’ve done and I am really looking forward to it.
No one knows exactly what the future brings so whatever action you take needs to feel right in your gut. You need to be happy and satisfied with YOUR choices. This one feels right for me.”
Tall withdrew from the 2024 CrossFit Games on Friday morning after returning to the competition floor for one more event.
On Sunday of the 2024 Games, Tall wrote the following on Instagram:
Since the CrossFit Games, Tall has competed at TYR Wodapalooza SoCal on Team World, at Rogue Invitational and at TYR Wodapalooza Miami. She also signed with the World Fitness Project for its inaugural season.
On top of competing, PRVN Fitness announced right before TYR WZA Miami that the 4-time CrossFit Games veteran had joined their camp.
With Tall sitting out of the 2025 CrossFit Open, she joins the following who have also publicly announced the same:
- Luka Đukić
- Elisa Fuliano
- Pat Vellner
- Chandler Smith
- Jelle Hoste
- Emma McQuaid
- Annie Thorisdottir
On the flipside, more notable athletes continue to register for the CrossFit Open. Those include James Sprague, Dallin Pepper, Roman Khrennikov, Austin Hatfield, Jay Crouch, Colten Mertens, Maddie Sturt, Kyra Milligan, Sydney Wells, Ellie Turner, Abigail Domit and Gracie Walton.
