Hyrox World Championships 2021

Unlike the last two Hyrox World Championships, this time it’s personal. I mean, in person and a full course.

In August of 2020, Hyrox held the Virtual Championships of Fitness, which was each athlete doing workouts in their home gyms. Then, on New Years Day of 2021, they put on the Elite 12 Championship, which consisted all of the workout zones, but had the athletes running on treadmills.

This weekend’s World Championship will be held in Leipzig, Germany and will be the full-on Hyrox experience, with a large payout purse for men and women.

1st $10,000
2nd $5,000
3rd $3,000
4th $2,500
5th $1,500
6th $1,000

So let’s look at a few of the kick ass men and women who will be fighting for the Hyrox cash.

Hunter McIntyre
Well to no one’s surprise, Hunter is the odds on favorite going in to this race, and he should be. You don’t have to be a stats wizard to know that the man who is the current U.S. Champ, the elite 12 Champ, and the holder of the fastest Hyrox time ever should be the favorite.

Dylan Scott
To look at this guy, you would never guess how strong he is. His slight frame makes you think this skinny dude can’t be able to move that sled. Yep. Go ahead and think that, and then watch Dylan make you look stupid as he’s cashing his podium check at the end of the day. This guy has a PB of just under 65 minutes, and I expect him to beat that this weekend.

David Magida
David is strong, he is fast, and he has the engine. He is one of the few men who has the potential to go sub 60 at this race. He is coming off a rough performance at the U.S. Championship, but I expect a big bounce back. It’s been a big year for David. Baby on the way, engaged to be married. How about adding a World Championship to that list?

Tobias Lautwein
Tobias is another deceptively strong man. True, his running is his best trait, but Tobias has no issue moving that heavy weight. He was 3rd at the Elite 12 and is one of very few men to go sub 60. Do not sleep on Tobias.

Tim Schroeder
For those of us in the western hemisphere, Tim isn’t a well known name. Numbers don’t lie though, and Tim has the second fastest Hyrox time of any European racing at Worlds with a result of 61:07. In 2019, Tim won in Leipzig. Let’s see if he can do it again.

Alex Roncevic
Alex was the only European able to make it to the U.S. for the Hyrox Invitational. Although he didn’t secure a podium, he put in a solid performance despite what would not have been an easy trip overseas. Now Alex is a little closer to home and with a PB of 62:29, he is capable of hitting the podium in Leipzig.

Viola Oberlander
Viola is Hyrox to the core. She was 2nd at the Elite 12, and has a PB of 68:02. Viola is fit, and she is ready. Any woman who thinks she can take this Championship without a fight from Viola, she is dreaming.

Sarah Kholti
Can you say power? This woman is a sled pushing machine. The last time we saw Sarah, she was at the Elite 12 Championship and looked strong. You may now have been blown away by her 3rd place finish there, but don’t forget Sarah was the world record holder for the fastest ever Hyrox time before Lauren bested her mark this year. Sarah will be at Worlds, and she will be a force.

Imke Salander
If you follow Imke on Instagram, you might be wondering why this fitness model is on the list of top women going to Hyrox Worlds. Well get ready to have your socks knocked of. She may be slight of build, but Imke is legit. She has a PB of 66:43. Yep, she hauls ass. Imke might be all beauty in front of the camera, but she’s all beast at Hyrox.

Rachel Vonderach
Coming off a bit of a disappointing finish at the U.S. Championship, it would be easy to write Rachel off, but that would be a huge mistake. Rachel has finally had time to rest and recover. With the CrossFit Games over and a far less hectic schedule, Rachel has been able to put her full focus on preparing for this race, and a fit and focused Rachel Vonderach should have the other women in the field very concerned.

Lauren Weeks
Much like Hunter she is the reigning U.S. Champion, the Elite 12 Champion, and the record holder for fastest time by a woman at 65:18. Lauren is coming in hot, and there is no reason to expect anything but another top notch performance from her.

A couple of final thoughts. There are only two women from North America on this list, and sadly those are the only two going. Also you will notice on the men’s side, there is no Lukas Strorath or Ryan Kent, two men that have run a previous Hyrox on the south side of 60 minutes.

With the pandemic still affecting our lives, getting all the best athletes in the world to one location is incredibly difficult. That said, this is still an incredibly talented field, and it will make for a great World Championship.

Oh, one last thing. My predictions are McIntyre, Magida, and Tobias for the men, and Rachel, Lauren, and Viola for the women.

Watch the coverage live right at that pretty link below.