HYROX Vienna European Championships 2025

The HYROX European Championship is not an ordinary championship.

It is held with open weights (lighter than the usual pro weights of the world championships) and by age groups. There is no elite category. 

This generates three situations:

• Athletes who have running as their strength are more competitive. This is due to lighter weights (pro are between 50 and 33% greater).
• The best HYROX athletes on the continent do not usually participate as they focus on the elite 15 events. or, failing that, in the pro of the various international events.
• The best in each age group except for those in the 30/34 and 35/39 age groups (where the vast majority of elites are located) have one of the main objectives of the year. In U24 and over 40 years of age, the best usually go.

Ojo.

This year in Vienna an elite athlete did participate. The reason is that it was held in his hometown and city of residence. He is not just any athlete, he is the current Elite World Champion and considered the best HYROX athlete at the moment: Alex Roncevic.

At first Alex came to take a bath of crowds and win comfortably (as he did in the Vienna 2024 major against all the world elite) but this year it was not so. A Spaniard had traveled to the Austrian capital to make it very difficult for him.

Organization of the event

Unlike the World Championship where you must qualify by being first in your age group, in the European Championship you only have to pay the registration fee to be in the starting line.

Personally I did not travel to Vienna this year so I only have references from what the athletes told me. From what they tell me the race was well organized. Last year I participated and I know it was very good.

An important fact is that the circuit has been fast because of the marks made by the athletes.

The categories of the event, as there are only open weights, are reduced to these: 

• Men (Saturday 22)
• Women (Sunday 23)
• Doubles men (Sunday 23)
• Women's Doubles (Saturday 22)
• Mixed Doubles (Sunday 23)
• Relay men, women and mixed (Saturday 22)

In the relay, 4 athletes participate, where each one of them does two workouts together with the previous kilometer. 

The individual age groups go from 5 to 5 years: under 24, 25/29, 30/34, 35/39... up to +70.

In doubles they go from 10 to 10: Under 29, 30/39 (adding the age of the two and dividing it by two), 40/49, etc.

In relay there are only two divisions: U40 (under 160 between the four) and +40.

I may be in trouble for saying this but I'll give you my opinion.

The relay is a super fun test where the result is influenced not only by the performance of the athletes but also by the tactics of how the workous are distributed.

However, for me the relay is a minor event in a championship except in the world championship that is made by selections. The reason is that there are few places and they run out soon. The level except in the first ones is not usually very high.

Near-maracanazo in Vienna

If you are not much of a soccer fan, I will explain what a maracanazo is. The 1950 World Cup was held in Brazil, which was the undisputed favorite. The final was in the Maracana stadium between the hosts and Uruguay. There was a surprise (there was even talk of suicides among the Carioca fans) as the Uruguayans won. A Maracanazo is when someone pulls off a surprise by winning at the home of the big favorite.

And the big favorite in the 30/34 age group was the local Roncevic. No one thought before the race that I would lose. Most of us thought at least two minutes ahead of second place.

The Andalusian Pablo Sanchez did not agree with the status quo of this edition. If you have read the chronicle of the HYROX from BilbaoPablo surprised the HYROX world by finishing third in his pro debut (due to a silly 10-second penalty he dropped to fifth place) in front of elite 15 athletes.

Pablo, who is a great national level runner (a few weeks ago he did 8:40 in a 3000) is more competitive in open weights. What nobody imagined is that he would not only give war to Alex but also that he would get to the wall balls with 15 seconds in the lead.

The pity is that Pablo was given 11 no reps and despite going unbroken in the WBs was passed by Roncevic.

It is true that the Viennese did not have his best career (holds the open world record 2 and a half minutes faster than his European record). but it is also true that Pablo's level has been very high. and that this proves that has a real chance of qualifying for the elite 15 world championships in Chicago.

The classification system is complex. I will explain it in another article.

Spanish podiums at HYROX Vienna 

As I mentioned in the preview, many of the best Europeans who do not compete in the elite 15 events come to the European Championships in search of glory. Several have made it to the podium:

First positions:

• Under 24 men: Luis Garcia Rubio. European champion and runner-up in the world last year. The Toledan (from Los Yebenes) repeats his triumph and achieves his great goal of the year: to beat the world record under 24 in open. with 54:55. 13th in the overall (joint classification of all age groups). At the moment is the big favorite for the Chicago World Cup.

• 45/49 male: Jose Angel Hidalgo. The Zamorano firefighter also repeats as European champion. 58:11 and 32nd overall.

• Relay +40 mixed: José Pereira, Estanislao Gonzalez, Raquel Bosch and Barbara Muñoz. 56:23 and 4th in the overall

Second positions:

• 30/34 male Pablo Sanchez with 53:35 The fifth best time in history. Roncevic made the third and the winner in 25/29 Phillip Wamser the fourth.

• 50/54 Ismael MateoThe captain of one of the most important hybrid running clubs (the Denontzat) returns to success after a year and a half with hamstring problems. He beat his Spanish record with 1:00:47. 83rd in the overall. If you watched the YouTube broadcast of the Bilbao HYROX he was the commentator.

• 40/44 female: Eider Alonso. Carreron of the also member of Denontzat and also commentator with Isma of the HYROX of Bilbao. With 1h04:41 she set the Spanish record in her age group. 22nd in the overall.

• Doubles 40/49: Raquel Dominguez and Raquel Sanchez with 1:03:02 - 17th in the Overall (out of almost 600 pairs). Brutal result of the two Raqueles.

• Men's 50/59 doubles: Daniel Sevilla together with England's Strachan did 57:28, 72nd in the overall. Daniel, who lives in the UK, was 4th in the singles, 4th in the world in the singles and first in the doubles.

• Relay sub 40: Valentin Gamba, Roberto Viciedo, Dani Redondo and Luis García Rubio. It would have been too much to beat the big favorites (Roncevic and Tiago Lousa). They beat the Spanish record (although Valen is an Argentinean living in Valencia). 48:55. Roberto 3rd in 25/29, Luis winner in sub24, Valentin 5th in 30/34 and Dani who finally went under 1h after being close to it so many times culminated a great weekend.

Third positions:

• 25/29 Male: Roberto Viciedo U24 world champion and already third in Europe at the change of category. Castellones confirms its place among the European elite closer and closer to an elite 15 position. 54:38 assumes the second best Spanish brand (he held the record until it was beaten by Pablo Sanchez minutes later) and 9th in the Overall.

• 60/65 male Manuel Emerson Socorro. The Canary Islander clocked 1:11:59 and 427 in the overall.

• 25/29 Women: The ex-crossfitter and best Spanish HYROX athlete despite being a little sick got the Spanish record with 1h03:16 going up in the wall balls. 11th in the Overall Manuela Garcia It's worth a better time (I was expecting 1h01 on this course) but I'm sure that in better conditions he will achieve it. His progression is constant.

Best Spanish HYROX brands in open

The speed of the circuit (in my newsletter I will tell the reasons why some circuits are faster than others), the increase in the level of the athletes and the great form in which many of them arrived has made them make great records. 

I leave you a small summary of the singles. The positions are the best marks of the history (short) in HYROX:

Male:

• Pablo Sanchez53:45 Best Spanish time and fifth in the world. 
• Robert Viciedo54:38 Second best Spanish time and 13th in the world.
• Luis Garcia Rubio54:55 Third best Spaniard and 22nd in the world.
• Valentin Gamba(half Spanish-half Argentine) 55th in the world.

Also under the hour: Jose Angel Hidalgo, Jorge Gonzalez, Javier Perdomo, Toni Mari Vargas, Daniel Redondo, Salvador Vazquez and Raul Capitan.

Female:

The women's open records have little history since a few months ago there was a change in the regulations. It was changed from 75 to 100 wall balls. The records started from zero at that time. Sandra Dominguez (2nd in Bilbao) had 1h04 with the old rules and Natalia Bermudez with the new 1h06:34 (London 2024 in her debut).

Flip with the Vienna brands.

• Manuela Garcia 1h03:16, best Spanish time and 51st in the world.
• Marta del Real 1h0404 second best Spanish time and 86th in the world
• Eider Alonso 1h04:41 third best Spanish.
• Yadira Perez 1h05:19 fourth Spanish.
• Silvia Garcia Lorenzo 1h05:41 is the fifth Spanish ever.

It is important to be clear that even though these brands are an absolute success where you really have to prove your level in HYROX is in the Pro category..

There is still a long way to go for these Spaniards to reach the level of the best in the world. Only Pelayo lives with them, looks them in the face as an equal and beats most of them. Pablo is knocking on that door with forcefulness.

In girls the level is lower. Manuela is working to one day reach the elite 15. At the moment there is no one else who combines quality and dedication to achieve it.

Upcoming championships

It is not yet known where the next European Championships will be held. What is certain is that hundreds of Spaniards traveled there with the hope of achieving new challenges and with a much higher average level. 

The level rises exponentially every year.

Before that, the world elite 15 in Chicago (mid-June). Many of these age group athletes and several more who have not (have not) been to Vienna will travel in pursuit of their competitive dreams and there will be more podiums.

Also the fourth in the world Pelayo Menendez will compete in his host city in elite 15 and may have company. 

Pablo, Aitor Lizarazu or Emilio Aguayo can achieve one of the three places that will be played in the HYROX in Barcelona in April. A really difficult challenge but I think it is possible. 

Anyway, I'll tell you about it here.