Interview: Zimbabwe’s Christina Livaditakis on Election to PFAA Board and Why She’ll Be Competing in the 2025 CrossFit Season
Zimbabwe’s Christina Livaditakis has been keeping busy during the offseason.
In October, Livaditakis finished third at the Down Under Championship (DUC) in Wollongong, Australia. Then, in November, she was elected as one of the six athlete board members for the Professional Fitness Athletes’ Association (PFAA).
- The Morning Chalk Up sat down with the Zimbabwean to discuss living in Australia, competing in Africa, her role on the PFAA Board, and her goals for the 2025 season.
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Discovering CrossFit
Growing up in Zimbabwe, Livaditakis was an active kid who enjoyed all sports, from water polo to rugby. She first became interested in CrossFit in 2016.
- “I was in a gym training normally, and I was bored,” she said. “I’d heard of CrossFit through [a friend who said], ‘All those CrossFitters look jacked.’ I was like, oh yeah, that sounds cool; I want to look jacked. I’ll give it a go, and then I fell in love with the sport.”
Livaditakis fell in love with the methodology as well. She earned her CrossFit L1 and began coaching soon after.
Life as a Zimbabwean Living in Australia and Competing in Africa
In 2018, Livaditakis moved from her home in Zimbabwe, Africa, to start a new life in Australia.
“As anyone who’s lived [in Africa] would know, it’s nothing like living in a first-world country,” she said.
- And while she says she’ll always consider Zimbabwe her home, she sought stability and opportunities elsewhere.
Livaditakis has been on the cusp of qualifying for the Games from the African region for the last three years, but illness and altitude have hindered her path so far. The African Semifinal was previously held at sea level in Cape Town — however, more recently, it’s been held in Johannesburg at 5,000 feet above sea level.
- “Now I have to travel at least four weeks before [the competition],” Livaditakis noted. “So it is a lot. Especially taking time off away from the gym and I have a full-time job as well. That’s hard, but I do love going back.”
After living and working in Australia for over six years, Livaditakis now has her Australian permanent residency. For the 2025 CrossFit Games season, the Torian Pro, the Australian In-Person Qualifying Event, has waived any residency requirement.
Christina Livaditakis’ Podium Finish at the Down Under Championship
The DUC took place in Wollongong, Australia, October 18-20, and Livaditakis finished third in the Elite Women’s division, behind winner Aimee Cringle and runner-up Jessi Smith.
Livaditakis started the competition in good form, with a win in the first event.
- “I love to compete in Australia,” she said. “I always do [DUC] because I can do it here [in Australia] with everyone, so that’s nice.”
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Perhaps thinking about the recent changes to the CrossFit Games season, Livaditakis noted:
- “I love an in-person competition. I do way better in person than I do online. I think I thrive off of the pressure of being in person.”
The PFAA and Livaditakis’ 2025 CrossFit Season Plans
Livaditakis was approached by the PFAA when the association first launched its election process.
Upon learning more about the group and the expectations of the role, Livaditakis agreed to stand for election to the Athlete Board. She and five others were elected.
- “The [PFAA] Board makes decisions and gives direction for the PFAA to support athletes who are dedicating their lives to this sport. One way we do that is by partnering with event organizers with an overall focus on the athlete experience,” Livaditakis told us.
Like many other elite CrossFit athletes, Livaditakis has been left feeling frustrated after the announcement of the 2025 CrossFit Games changes.
However, she still plans to compete despite the lack of information and consistency provided by CrossFit HQ.
- “At this stage, I still plan to compete; however, that does not say that I agree with the turn that the 2025 season has taken,” she said. “It still seems a little unknown […] if it is going to be a better/worse season structure for the sport of CrossFit.”
She went on to say that athletes she speaks with feel frustrated by a lack of consistency in the Games season structure year over year.
- “I think we simply just don’t understand why CrossFit has decided to yet again change the structure of the season,” she said.
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A Belief in CrossFit’s Core Values
Despite the changes to the sport of CrossFit, Livaditakis still believes in the core values that underpin CrossFit.
- “My livelihood is CrossFit. I run an affiliate, I train in CrossFit classes daily, I love my CrossFit community, and how CrossFit, the training program for general physical preparedness, has impacted so many lives and people close to me,” she said.
In her view, the methodology, sport, and community are all interconnected. “I believe in the methodology…for health and fitness,” she said, “so with that, I will support my community by competing in the 2025 season.”
- “Without the community of CrossFit and the CrossFit affiliates, there is no CrossFit Games, and I don’t want to see this sport die.”
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Featured image: @vallejo_media_ / Instagram
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