Cleo the Hurricane is the international rock star of pole dancing and the current Australian Pole Dance Champion. Born on the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago, now hailing from Melbourne-via-Sydney, Cleo’s early years were spent doing gymnastics and classical ballet training. In high school she discovered rock music, picked up a pair of drumsticks, joined a band and … [Read more...]

Claire Bevilacqua is nickname "Bevo". She is a professional surfer from Perth, Australia. She joined the World Championship Tour in 2004. She has won many competitions including the 2009 Pipeline Pro Hawaii. Bevilacqua was born and raised “Down Under” to an Australian mother and Italian father. Growing up in West Australia, she got her start riding some of the best and most … [Read more...]

Samantha Briggs is Co-owner and Head Coach at Train Manchester. With a strong background in a variety of sports, Samantha has represented Great Britain in her age group in the World Duathlon Championships and has now chosen to focus her career on competing in CrossFit. Following a top 20 world placing in 2010 and a 4th place finish in 2011, she returned from injury this year to … [Read more...]

Rafaela Montanaro is current world champion of bi-Category FIT Pole Dance, is known worldwide for her incredible performances that balance strength, flexibility and diversity, playing different characters and different dance rhythms from classic to rock'n roll. It is the Brazilian with the highest international recognition who has taught and performed in many … [Read more...]

Christine Bannon-Rodrigues is an American martial artist, actress, stunt person, and choreographer. A student of Don Rodrigues, Bannon-Rodrigues is a 9th degree black belt, she holds 9 World Championships, including consecutive 3-time World Titles at the W.A.K.O. Games. Bannon-Rodrigues has acted for both film and television, including the feature films Sci-Fighter (aka … [Read more...]

Gisela Pulido Borrell is a Spanish kitesurfer. She is a sporting prodigy of our times. Gisela Pulido's biography is the story of what is probably the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Gisela was born in Barcelona in January 1994. Her first years of life are spent in the Maresme, a region of great tradition in the practice of the nautical sports, where the child … [Read more...]

Brianne McLaughlin is an American ice hockey goaltender. She is a two-time Olympian and goalie with the United States Women’s Hockey Team. McLaughlin attended Elyria Catholic High School in Elyria, Ohio. She went on to play ice hockey for four years (2006 to 2009) at Robert Morris Colonials women's ice hockey program. McLaughlin set an NCAA record of 3,809 career saves. … [Read more...]

Chloe Bruce is an exceptionally talented martial artist, Guinness World Record Holder for most amount of kicks in 1 minute, also a model, style icon, spokesperson, television and film star, a brand ambassador, qualified martial arts instructor, qualified SPA rock climber, qualified PADI divemaster, weapons expert and fight and show choreographer. She is skilled in Tang Soo Do … [Read more...]

Mona is fascinated since childhood with sports and dance. She graduated in 2001 her first training as aerobics instructor. She has training in Group Fitness, Personal Fitness, Pilates, Healthy Back, ThaiBoRobix / Fila Kick Power, and Aqua uva. Mona worked for many well-known gyms in Austria and is the owner and founder of Pole Arts. In June 2011, she completed the test in … [Read more...]

Talayna Fortunato is a Physical Therapist. She did ballet, gymnastics, pentathlon, heptathlon, hurdles and pole vault before she discovered CrossFit in 2009. She became Crossfit Southeast Sectionals Champion 2010 and went on to win 3rd position in 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games. She is Tennessee-born athlete and now living in sunny Naples, FL. She writes a blog www.talayna.com. She … [Read more...]

Ashley Cummins is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division. She is currently signed with Invicta FC. When Ashley “Smashley” Cummins was still very young, her mother had a concern about Cummins being able to protect herself in the future. She decided karate was a good place for her daughter to learn those skills. Cummins eventually moved on to … [Read more...]

  Catharine Pendrel is a Canadian cross-country mountain biker from Fredericton, New Brunswick. She was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and grew up outside the small community of Harvey Station, New Brunswick. Listed as her personal heroes are Gunn-Rita Dahle and Marie-Hélène Prémont. She has been a member of the Canadian National team since 2003. Pendrel was the … [Read more...]

Carmen Marton is a taekwondo athlete from Australia. She is Australia's first ever world taekwondo champion. Marton is of Polish Australian descent, since her parents were born in Poland and came to Australia. As a junior, Marton achieved a number of international benchmark results: She won silver at both the 2001 and 2003 Junior Asian Championships. At the age of 14 she … [Read more...]

Flying Laura is the 2011 American Pole Fitness Champion. In 2009 and 2012, she placed in the California Pole Dance Championships, earning awards of “most flexible” and “most artistic”. Best known for her fast, no handed pole movement and dynamic style, Flying Laura offers a unique and passionate style to the pole dance world. She has been performing for nearly 5 years, as a … [Read more...]

Elisabeth Akinwale is a unique competitor at CrossFit Games, that of being a mother. She’s got a smile that can light up a room one minute and morph into a focused grimace the next. She’s strong as an ox and flexible as an acrobat. She’s a devoted mom, blogger, and CrossFit competitor, and she excels at all three. She’s come from nowhere on a bullet train into the CrossFit … [Read more...]

Bruna Kajiya full name is Bruna Kajiyabruna Kajiya. She is Brazilian World champion freestyle kitesurfer. Her favourite move is Powered Back Mobe. She was born in Vinhedo, São Paulo, Brazil. Her philosophy of life is learn from your difficulties, take the best of them an move forward. Her favourite food is my dad's baked fish wrapped in banana leaf. World champion freestyle … [Read more...]

Tanja Žakelj is a Slovenian racing cyclist, holder of multiple world- and European champion titles. She was born in Kranj. She competed in mountain biking at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She is the current European Champion and overall World Cup Winner (2013). She lives in Ledine, a small village of an altitude of 780m. Countryside there is beautiful and surrounded … [Read more...]

Ellie Greenwood was born in Dundee, Scotland. Greenwood was eight when her family moved to the flat farmland of Norfolk, England. After graduating from university in 2001, Greenwood decided to work in Canada for a UK ski package vacation operator and has remained in Canada since. "I love the big outdoors and the more relaxed lifestyle here," she says. After moving to Canada, … [Read more...]

Marloes Coenen is a Dutch mixed martial artist. She has competed professionally since 2000 and is a former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. Coenen is currently the #2-ranked 145-pound female MMA fighter in the world according to the Unified Women's MMA Rankings. Coenen's brothers and grandfather were both involved in martial arts, with the latter having trained in … [Read more...]

Alex Puccio, born Alexandrea Elizabeth Cocca at McKinney, Texas, is a professional climber specializing in bouldering. She competes in climbing competitions and splits her time between climbing outdoor and indoor. She is known for having great strength, allowing her to attempt projects usually only climbed by men. She regularly participates in United States national … [Read more...]

Joanna Zakrzewski from UK stood second in 2011 International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) 100 km World Championships at Winschoten in Netherlands. She also stood third in the same race in 2014 at Doha Qatar. She started out as a race doctor, but was convinced by a friend to "try it from the other side", and so she took part in a multi-stage race across the Atacama Desert … [Read more...]

Grete Eliassen is an American-Norwegian freestyle skier. She won a bronze medal in Slopestyle at the 2011 Winter X Games XV in Aspen, Colorado. She has won 6 medals at the Winter X Games in slopestyle and halfpipe events including back to back gold medals in 2005 and 2006. Eliassen was born in Rochester, Minnesota. She started skiing at the young age of two. She grew up near … [Read more...]

Barb Honchak is an American professional female mixed martial artist. She is the first Invicta FC Flyweight Champion. She has four wins in the Invicta FC promotion and holds notable victories over Vanessa Porto, Roxanne Modafferi, Leslie Smith and Felice Herrig. Honchak is currently the #6-ranked pound-for-pound female MMA fighter in the world by MMARising.com and the #1-ranked … [Read more...]

Clair Marie is an adventure sports athlete, professional BASE jumper and skydiver. She has made her mark as one of the top females within the sport of BASE jumping as well as continues to progress in her other action/adventure sports, stunts for commercials/movies as well as modeling and climbing. BASE Girl aka Clair Marie was born and raised in a small mountain town outside … [Read more...]