HYROX returned to Berlin with a signature event at the iconic Berlin Tempelhof airport for a huge 3 days of racing on 16th-18th May 2025.
Fast Course?
The course was clearly one of the quicker ones we’ve seen this season — with cool outdoor temps, fewer turns, and a one-lap format all (presumably) contributing to faster times. There were numerous World Records broken (read on for more details of those) and around 8% of the Men’s Pro field finished in under an hour — comparable with the stacked field at the Last Chance Qualifier in Barcelona, and much higher than the 3% in London recently.
A fast course is great for PBs, but it does raise a question, when Elite 15 qualification is based on time: are some athletes gaining an advantage at the Elite level of the sport just by picking a quicker course to race at?…
Jon Wynn was one of those who considered jumping in for exactly that reason but ultimately chose to stick to his 2025 World Champs prep. As he put it on Instagram Stories: “If I don’t race and they don’t change how we qualify… I will lose out by potentially not running a fast time.” He added that racing unnecessarily would cost him 3–5 days of training and increase his risk of illness – all for a spot on a leaderboard that might not even reflect fair conditions. Wynn added that he hopes for a rethink of the whole qualification system, suggesting the sport should move toward race-based qualification instead of time: “There is clear evidence to demonstrate that times are no longer the best way to qualify.”
He’s not alone in thinking that. Many were already questioning whether HYROX should have excluded Berlin from the qualification process — particularly since fast times were also seen at the same venue last season. But the flip side is: athletes in the Elite 15 Majors often race on near-empty tracks, and their times too help qualify them for future Majors. This season’s Amsterdam and Glasgow Majors both saw several athletes set new personal bests. So, perhaps, giving others the chance to run on a fast course like Berlin actually makes things more balanced.
Read on for the main results of the event…
Men’s Pro
The Men’s Pro was won by Emilio Aguayo in a time of 00:54:35. This, right now, makes him the 5th fastest man to have ever competed in HYROX.
Second was Richard Hynek in 00:55:37.
Third place was taken by Alen Ploj in a time of 00:55:42.
Women’s Pro
The Women’s Pro was won by Lena Putters in a time of 01:01:00.
Second was Melanie Maurer (who recently qualified for the Elite 15 by finishing 3rd at the Last Chance Qualifier) in 01:01:03.
Third place was taken by Zara Piergianni in a time of 01:01:53.
Pro Doubles
The Men’s Pro Doubles was won by Alexander Roncevic and Tiago Lousa in a time of 00:49:36.
The Women’s Pro Doubles was won by Aoife O’Rourke and Lisa O’Rourke in a time of 00:57:18.
KSI and Calfreezy Make Their HYROX Debut
Two of YouTube’s biggest names jumped into the HYROX world at the event, as KSI and Calfreezy took on their first race in Berlin on the Friday afternoon – finishing the Men’s Doubles in 1:10:43.
KSI’s best known for boxing, music, his role as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, and co- founding Prime with Logan Paul, while Calfreezy has been a long-time content creator and podcast host. Their performance was solid for first-timers, with them finishing 993rd out of 1821 overall.
Their appearance drew a huge crowd and plenty of attention online, with clips of the pair competing quickly going viral. It wouldn’t be surprising if we see more creators jumping in off the back of this. Whether they’ll be back for another go – or fancy a crack at the individual category next time – we’ll see.
World Records
Congratulations to the following athletes for achieving overall World Record times:
Men’s Open Doubles:
Jake Williamson and Fabi Eisenlauer – 00:47:57
(also a shout out to Harry and Ben Sutherland who broke the World Record on Friday (00:48:35), to have it beaten by Jake and Fabi on Sunday!)
Congratulations to the following athletes for achieving age group World Record times:
Men’s Pro:
50-54 – Guy Portlock – 01:02:35
55-59 – Joze Kojc – 01:02:55
Men’s Open:
50-54 – Mike Schifferle – 00:58:27
55-59 – Joze Kojc – 00:59:11
Women’s Open Doubles:
16-29 – Alex Hill, Lauren-Leigh Richardson – 00:55:12
Women’s Relay:
40+ – Emma Reeve, Kelly Limond, Sam Bilbie, Chloe Hammond – 00:58:06
Here are some photos of the event…
We shared more pictures of the event on our Instagram account here – where you can also see comments from some of the athletes who attended the race.
