Ten years of gymnastics; five varsity letters; six CrossFit Games appearances; and one Titan Games title: Dani Speegle has been competing at an elite level her entire life.
And now she’s doing it on one of the biggest stages in American television as she appears as ‘Crush’ on Prime Video’s American Gladiators from 17 April.
Here are three need-to-know facts about Dani ‘Crush’ Speegle.
1) She Was a Multi-Sport Athlete in Her Youth
Crush competed in gymnastics for 10 years before a back injury forced her to give up the sport in high school.
However, rather than stepping away from sport altogether, she redirected her competitive drive into volleyball, track, diving and rowing, earning five varsity letters along the way.
Crush went on to study marine biology at the Florida Institute of Technology – where she also rowed as a freshman – before discovering CrossFit in her senior year in 2015.
2) She’s a Six-Time CrossFit Games Athlete
Crush made her CrossFit Games debut in 2019, after being the top-ranked US female in that year’s open.
She’s gone on to compete at the Games four more times, achieving a best individual finish of 13th in 2020.
In the same year, she won Season 2 of NBC’s The Titan Games, hosted by Dwayne Johnson, becoming the show’s Ultimate Titan.
3) She Uses Her Platform to Champion Body Positivity in Sport
With a 420lb deadlift, 370lb back squat, and 270lb clean and jerk to her name, Crush is one of the strongest female CrossFit athletes in the world – and she’s all about strength and power over aesthetics.
She has used her platform of 1.9 million Instagram followers to found the Girls Who Eat movement, championing a healthier relationship between women, food, and body image in the fitness industry, proving that strength and body positivity are not mutually exclusive.
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