Two of the fittest teenagers in the world are from Newtown. Siblings Celia and Romy Gold had standout performances in the Reebok CrossFit Games, which brought athletes from all over the world together for three grueling days of competition, at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., July 21–23.

Celia, who will be a senior at Newtown High School this coming fall, placed fifth in the 16-17 year old category of the Teenage Division, and Romy, a rising sophomore, was seventh in the 14-15-year old category.

Competitors showed their strength, endurance, stamina, agility, and overall athleticism in various fitness challenges ranging from about five to 20 minutes each. The athletes participated in six challenges and Celia got to the finals, where she placed third; her overall placement is based on cumulative results.

Another set of siblings — trainers Kurt and Kris Kling, owners of CrossFit RedZone, located at 3 Simm Lane, who have worked with the girls for the past year and a half — played a big role in their success. The Golds performed workouts at CrossFit Red Zone where they were judged by trainers to qualify for the CrossFit Games.

“So proud,” Kurt said of their performances against the best in the world. “They’ve exceeded all our expectations. Their work ethic and dedication is just unsurpassed. We are more than proud of them. From weight lifting to gymnastics to endurance work, they did it all.”

“I’m more than proud of these girls, with how they performed,” Kris added. “These girls are amazing athletes and they have a lot of fun at this competition.”

There were only ten girls internationally in each age group to qualify. Participants came from Australia, Canada, and China, for example, Kurt said. “They have to be at the peak of physical fitness to do this,” he said.

Celia said the participants, although competitors, became friends through their interaction during the event. “They’re really awesome girls. They’re all so nice and supportive,” she said.

“It was really, really exciting. It was the most fun I’ve ever had,” Romy added. “It was a very unique experience. It was kind of a shock to me — I didn’t realize how good some of the girls are.”

Celia and Romy were invited to the Junior Elite Training Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs at the end of July, and are being groomed for Team USA Weightlifting for the Junior Olympics.

They both won medals at the USA Weightlifting National Youth Championships, earlier this summer, as Romy won one silver medal, and Celia won two silver medals. The Gold siblings play lacrosse at Newtown High School, and both are high honors students. Celia is vice president of the National Honor Society at NHS.