The up-and-comer is joining an elite group of athletes.
Last updated on March 28th, 2025
Three-time CrossFit Games veteran and former teen champion Emma Lawson has officially joined Brute Strength, home of a star-studded roster of top CrossFit athletes.
Lawson, who turns 20 this year, will continue to live in Ontario, Canada, and train remotely under the guidance of Brute Strength owner Matt Torres.
Remind Me
The top two Fittest Men from the 2024 CrossFit Games, James Sprague and Dallin Pepper, are longtime Brute athletes who both train under Torres.
This year, Jayson Hopper, who placed fourth at the 2024 Games, also became a Brute athlete and trains under coach El Senouvor.
Fee Saghafi, who recently finished second in the 2025 CrossFit Open, and Rebecka Vitesson, a 2023 Games competitor from Sweden, round out the 2025 roster.
How It All Went Down
When Torres heard that Lawson’s former coach, Josh Woolley, had decided to retire, his interest piqued.
- “Any coach would be lucky to coach a talent like [Lawson],” Torres told the Morning Chalk Up. “So I spoke with Dallin [Pepper] to get his thoughts on potentially throwing my hat in the ring to be her coach.”
That said, he wanted to “be respectful” of Lawson and Woolley, so he waited a month to reach out to her.
But when he did, Lawson was ready.
Though she will continue to live and train in Canada, Torres said she will also travel to Jacksonville, FL, throughout the season to train with him in person.
- “I don’t believe there is a right or wrong [way] for athletes that get coached, remotely or in-person, but more so finding out what works best for that athlete,” Torres said. “There’s gonna be a learning process for myself and seeing what works best for her and vice versa.”
For Torres, this learning process means he must allow flexibility in programming and not be too assertive in his style as he gets to know Lawson.
“The idea is for her to build confidence in me as her coach,” he said.
The Big Picture for Lawson
So far, so good. In fact, Torres mentioned that identifying any flaws in Lawson’s game has been challenging.
- “She is a very well-rounded athlete, and that in itself is a major strength. In a lot of ways, she reminds me of Dallin,” he said. “It has actually been a little bit more difficult in the early process of finding her weaknesses.”
Ultimately, he couldn’t be more thrilled to assist Lawson in reaching her potential.
- “I’m excited to help guide her training and structure a winning formula for her to stand at the top of the podium of the CrossFit Games one day,” he said.
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Featured Image: Scott Freymond
