HYROX
The top 12 HYROX athletes to watch this season
With the season now underway, fierce rivalries are emerging and new challengers are breaking onto Elite 15 scene. These are the top HYROX athletes set to make plenty of noise this year.
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HYROX is booming, and every year a fresh wave of athletes crashes the party and takes on the veterans who have long ruled the floor. Across a season, thousands of racers chase the same prize, but only 15 men and 15 women earn a spot on the World Championship start line as Elites.
Last year in Stockholm, Sweden, two first-time champions rose to the top. One was not even a full season into her HYROX journey. The other was one of the most seasoned of the field.
This season, the rules of the chase have changed. Qualification now runs on accumulated points, with five Elite Races in Hamburg, London, Bangkok, Las Vegas and Lyon.
The finale lands on June 10-13 in Hong Kong, the first time the World Championships will be held in Asia. For now, the season is still fresh, but as it progresses, points will pile up, and with that comes guaranteed surprises along the way. Over the coming months, here are the top six men and women to watch.
01
Men's Elite 15: the frontline of fitness
Alex Rončević - the record setter with unfinished business
Alex Rončević puts in the hard yards at HYROX Worlds in Stockholm
© Mihai Stetcu/Red Bull Content Pool
One of the most revered competitors in the sport, Alex Rončević’s resume is awe-inspiring. The former swimmer and 2024 World Champion set multiple records over the 2025/2026 season, first in Hamburg with a time of 53:15 in the Elite 15. He then went on to race at the European Championships with Tim Wenisch in the Men’s Pro Doubles division and set another world record with a time of 47:40. But he wasn’t done. In Warsaw, he set yet another as he became the first athlete to finish under 52 minutes, with a time of 51:59.
Known for his dedication to intense training and his gritty work ethic, he acknowledges that the level of competition in the sport is elevating each season. “I’m focusing on myself because the competition is getting bigger and bigger and faster and faster. So you need to live and train like a pro athlete. Full focus,” says Roncevic. This season, he already has one win in Istanbul, Turkey, and a second-place finish in Bordeaux, France.
Cole Learn - the one with something to prove
Cole Learn has already won twice this season
© Sarah Holman/Red Bull Content Pool
Since his disqualification at the 2026 World Championships, Canada’s Cole Learn has been on a tear, competing at one race after another. His season began in Japan at the Chiba HYROX, where he won with a time 54:37. He then went on to win in Shenzhen, China, with a time of 53:30.
“Winning the races in Asia meant a lot to me,” said Learn. He was able to demonstrate the level of fitness he had brought to the World Championships and show the world what they’re up against this year. He currently has plans to compete at both the Hamburg and London Elite races.
Louis Osselaer - the breakout star
The dark horse of the HYROX circuit, Belgium’s Louis Osselaer made his breakthrough last year by taking second place at the World Championships. Those who know him weren’t surprised. Drawing on his background in weight training and triathlon, he brings a lethal mix of skill, speed and strength to fitness racing.
He attributes his success last season to an increase in running volume and his sled training, which has led him to become one of the strongest athletes in the field at the sled pull.
Jake Dearden - the fan-favourite
Jake Dearden is feeling in great shape
© Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Content Pool
Marathon-runner Jake Dearden has established himself as a dominant figure in the sport after three years of competing. In January of this year, amidst his HYROX training, he ran a 2:22 marathon in Houston, USA, then went on to collect top-three finishes both as a solo and with his doubles partner, Charlie Botterill. He raced at 2026 World Championships in June with James Kelly, where they took eighth place.
Dearden competed most recently as a solo Pro in Bordeaux, France, taking third overall to Botterill and Rončević. He set a new personal best of 54:20 but it was a bittersweet moment as he led for most of the race before being overtaken at the wallball station. "Training is paying off," he says. "Three months ago, I was nowhere near this level. And the best thing yet is I’ve got so much to work on to get better.”
Dylan Scott - the closer
Dylan Scott making moves at the sled push
© HYROX / Red Bull Content Pool
Dylan Scott’s win at the 2025 World Championship was one nobody saw coming until the final moments. He arrived into the final station placed in sixth, behind former champions Tim Wenisch, Alex Rončević, and Hunter McIntyre. He was able to hold on while others couldn’t, repping out 100 unbroken wall balls and overtaking all of them for a final time of 53:47.
After his win, Scott emphasised that while he hopes to continue collecting accolades, medals, and race experience, he also hopes to inspire fellow athletes to enter the sport. “It’s a unique community and one that deserves a spotlight,” he said.
Tim Wenisch - the double threat
Tim Wenisch has enjoyed success in the Elite doubles
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
In June, the 2025 World Champion arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, ready to defend his crown. He had collected multiple wins throughout the season and was a major contender to top the podium. In the end, he had to settle for fourth place in the Pro Men division, but did enjoy success in the doubles event. Competing alongside Rončević, they won with a time of 48:57.
02
Women's Elite 15: power, grit and dominance
Alyssa McElheney - the rookie who rewrote the script
With a background in marathon running, Alyssa McElheney had already qualified for the 2028 Olympic trials before trying her hand at HYROX. But last winter, the newcomer came seemingly out of nowhere, debuting as a solo Pro in Las Vegas, USA, where she finished in 1:00:55.
It was only months later that she was crowned the 2026 World Champion in Stockholm, Sweden, with a finishing time of 56:59. She said at the close of last season that she “had found her sport” in HYROX and was going all in. Her 2026 season has already begun with one win under her belt in Beijing, China.
Joanna Wietrzyk - the pace setter
22-year-old Joanna Wietrzyk made a big impression on her Elite 15 debut
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
When Joanna Wietrzyk, the favorite to win the 2025 World Championships, was bested by McElheney, we knew the loss had lit a fire under the former tennis player. Last season, she racked up win after win after win, and currently holds the women’s world record of 54:25, which she set in Warsaw, Poland, in April.
She has already topped two podiums this season, one in Sydney, Australia, and another in Chiba, Japan, in the Pro Doubles division with Jess Petrow.
Ida Mathilde Steensgaard – the the crossover star
Ida Mathilde Steensgaard has been thriving in HYROX
© Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool
Ida Mathilde Steensgaard has drawn on her obstacle course racing background, and the dominance that came with it, to thrive in HYROX. Her breakout race was in Hong Kong in 2024, where she competed against a host of veterans. She took fourth place and qualified for her first World Championships.
She and her doubles partner Elli Stenfors raced together one final time at the Worlds this June, finishing in eighth. This season, Steengsgaard took second at Oslo in late September with new partner Laura Valgreen, setting a new Danish women’s pro record with a time of 57:28.
Lucy Procter – the protégé with London grit
Lucy Procter made her Elite 15 debut in 2025
© HYROX/Red Bull Content Pool
Lucy Procter began her HYROX career a mere three years ago and has already earned her spot amongst the greats. She ran her first Elite race in February, 2025 in Las Vegas, taking fifth with a time of 1:03. At that same race, she made the leap into Pro Doubles for the first time with Aussie Joanna Wietrzyk and won.
She then went on to win Pro Doubles in London, this time with Sinead Bent, shaving nearly two minutes off her time with Wietrzyk, finishing in 55:52. She and Bent then took second place at the 2025 World Championships and continued their partnership through last season as well, taking second place at World Championships in Sweden, where she also finished sixth as a solo Elite.
Known for her relentless commitment to self-improvement, Procter embodies the grit needed to stand on a podium again and again.
Sinead Bent - the quiet contender
Sinead Bent (left) has found success alongside Lucy Procter
© Mihai Stetcu/Red Bull Content Pool
Another new athlete making waves in the space is the British athlete Sinead Bent, who is only two years into her HYROX career. In 2024, she set a Women’s Open world record of 58:47 in London just months after her first race. At last season’s World Championships, she ended the weekend with two podium finishes: claiming third as an Elite 15 and second as an Elite Doubles with Lucy Procter.
With a background in distance running (she has a 10K personal best of 35:18), she’s been able to transition seamlessly into hybrid racing.
Megan Jacoby - the comeback kid
A mainstay of the HYROX circuit, former NCAA track athlete Megan Jacoby enters this season in a unique position. She was the first female to achieve a sub-60 finishing time at the Anaheim HYROX in 2023 and the following season, triumphed at the World Championships. However, just as she had risen to the greatest heights in her competitive racing career, she was sidelined with a herniated disc and underwent back surgery.
After recovering, she began racing again, only to suffer a meniscus tear and cartilage damage in January of 2026, which delayed her comeback further. This season, though, Jacoby is seemingly back and better than ever. She’s already snagged two wins in Athens, Greece, and Izmir, Turkey, finishing in 57:30 and 58:24, respectively.
03
What is HYROX?
HYROX pro Jake Dearden puts in work at the gym
© Markus Rohrbacher / Red Bull Content Pool
HYROX isn’t just another test of fitness. It’s a structured grind: eight rounds of 1km running, each followed by a functional workout station. Ski erg, Sled push, Sled pull, Burpee broad jumps, Rowing, Farmers carry, Lunges and finally Wall balls. It’s a format that demands balanced athleticism, where pure speed isn’t enough, and raw power needs to last.
The standardised format ensures each race is identical, providing a level playing field for all competitors.
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