Joanna Wietrzyk: HYROX Career, Training and Elite Mindset

Joanna Wietrzyk is an Australian HYROX athlete and the Women’s Pro world-record holder. After growing up as a competitive tennis player, she began racing HYROX in 2024 and quickly established herself among the sport’s leading athletes.

During the 2025/26 season, Wietrzyk became the first athlete to win all four Elite 15 Majors in a single season. She also set the Women’s Pro world record of 54:25 in Warsaw before finishing second at the 2026 HYROX World Championships in Stockholm.  It was her second consecutive World Championship runner-up finish, having also placed second in 2025.

Speaking on the Rox Lyfe Podcast shortly after the World Championships, Wietrzyk discussed her sporting background, training, competitive mindset and rapid progression through HYROX. She also explained why winning a World Championship remains her main goal, despite already holding the world record and completing an unprecedented Major Grand Slam.

2026 World Championships

Despite becoming the first athlete to complete the Elite 15 Major Grand Slam, Wietrzyk admitted she initially struggled to accept finishing second in Stockholm at the 2026 World Championships.

She explained that while she was proud of the achievement, her own standards are exceptionally high.

She knew early in the race that she wasn’t at her best (“I knew from that second run that it was going to be a long race.”).

She revealed she was dealing with cramping and wasn’t moving as well as she had throughout the rest of the season. Looking back at the splits, her burpee broad jumps stood out as one of the biggest differences compared to previous races.

Rather than blaming external factors or judging controversies, she focused entirely on her own performance, and said she took confidence from the fact she was still able to finish second despite feeling well below her best.

A New Approach?

After travelling constantly between Australia, Europe and North America throughout the season, Wietrzyk believes she’ll take a smarter approach moving forward.

She explained that travelling from Australia means every major race involves flights of more than 20 hours, disrupted routines, unfamiliar food and significant physical stress.

Earlier in her career she wanted to race every opportunity she could because nothing in professional sport is guaranteed.

Now she feels she has earned the right to be more selective.  Her goal is no longer to win every major.  It’s to arrive at the World Championships in the best possible condition.

Why more competition excites her

Many athletes might be concerned by the rapid improvements in the women’s Elite 15 field.  Wietrzyk sees it differently.  Rather than feeling threatened, Wietrzyk believes stronger competition (such as Saskia Millard and Annie Emilson) will simply make everyone faster.  She said losing in Stockholm has already given her extra motivation for next season.

“I actually don’t want to be winning by two and a half minutes every time.”

She believes close racing is better for athletes, better for spectators, and ultimately pushes the entire sport forwards.

Joanna Wietrzyk’s Sporting Background

Before competing in HYROX, Wietrzyk grew up playing tennis at a high-performance level in Australia. She started at around five or six years old after following her older brother into the sport.

Although tennis does not involve continuous distance running, Wietrzyk believes it gave her much of the endurance and training capacity that helped her progress quickly in HYROX. Tennis sessions could keep her on court for three, four or five hours, and she became accustomed to training repeatedly throughout the week from a young age.

The sport also developed her footwork, movement, competitiveness and ability to perform under pressure. She credits the years spent moving rapidly around the court with helping her body tolerate the high running volume she now completes for HYROX.

That competitiveness also extends beyond racing. During our conversation, she explained that even a casual game of Connect Four becomes serious:

“If I lose, we’re playing again.”

Training for HYROX

Wietrzyk’s HYROX training places a heavy emphasis on running and aerobic development. During our interview, she estimated that her running volume generally falls somewhere between 90 and 120km per week, although she does not track a fixed weekly target.

That volume reflects her own sporting history and ability to tolerate running. It should not be treated as a recommendation for other HYROX athletes. Wietrzyk believes her years of tennis helped develop the muscles and tendons required to handle a large amount of movement.

She also supplements her running with aerobic work on the bike, SkiErg and rower. Compared with some other Elite athletes, she says that she completes less strength training and places greater emphasis on building her aerobic capacity.

Her schedule generally follows a hard-easy structure. Threshold and faster sessions are followed by one or two easier days focused on aerobic volume and movement quality. She monitors heart rate and HRV, and also uses lactate and VO2 max testing, but balances the data against how she feels when she wakes up and during training.

The future of women’s HYROX

With the current women’s world record sitting at 54:25, many people wonder where the limits are.  Wietrzyk believes a sub-52 performance is achievable within the next few years.

To reach it, she believes athletes won’t simply need to run faster.  They’ll also need to execute the perfect race through transitions, station efficiency and flawless movement throughout all eight workouts.  Every second matters.

Her proudest moment

Although the World Championship remains unfinished business, Wietrzyk says the defining moment of her career so far came in Poland.

After crossing the line to secure her fourth consecutive Major victory and set the world record, she immediately spotted her mum waiting at the finish.  Her mother had returned to her home city for the first time in around 15 years to watch the race.  Sharing that moment together made the achievement even more special.

“It’s something I’ll remember forever.”

To check out the full episode, watch below or listen on the Rox Lyfe podcast…