Seher Kaya retires from competition, steps back into community role

Seher Kaya, a three-time CrossFit Games competitor, has announced she will step away from the competition circuit. Kaya shared the decision on Instagram on January 13, saying the choice was difficult but felt right, and expressing gratitude for the support and personal growth competition brought her.

Kaya rose through the ranks to reach the Games in 2022, 2023, and 2024, recording her best Games finish at 21st in 2024. Her 2025 season stalled short of another Games bid: she finished 943rd in the Open, narrowly inside the top-1% cutline, placed 22nd in an In-Affiliate Semifinal, and took fourth at the Far East Throwdown. Those results left her out of contention for the 2025 CrossFit Games and appear to have factored into her decision to retire from elite competition.

For local gyms and athletes who followed Kaya’s trajectory, the announcement closes a chapter on a visible career that blended international competition with regional presence. Kaya’s progression from Open leaderboard standings to multiple Games invitations made her a familiar name in seminars, throwdowns, and affiliate circles across the region. Her move away from competing removes a podium contender from the field but keeps an experienced voice in the community landscape.

This transition matters for athletes targeting similar pathways. Kaya’s career underscores how small margins in the Open and semifinals can determine a season’s direction and how international throwdowns can both build momentum and expose where athletes need to shore up weaknesses. Coaches and athletes can look to her season-to-season pattern—strong regional placements but tight cutlines at the global level—as a case study in managing peaking, recovery, and programming across a long competitive calendar.

Kaya emphasized that fitness will remain central to her life even as she steps back from the Games chase. That matters for affiliates and runners of local events: retired competitors often surface as coaches, seminar hosts, guest athletes, and branding partners, bringing experience without the travel-heavy schedule. For programming and community leaders, keeping an eye on where former competitors channel their energy can be an opportunity to book clinics, invite guest coaching, or feature them in community programming.

Kaya’s announcement closes her chapter as an active competitor while opening possibilities for the community to benefit from her experience. Expect her influence to shift from leaderboard to local box—from chasing podiums to helping others chase PRs—and watch for how she shapes the scene in the months ahead.