Josh van Zeeland completed the event in an incredible time 0:56:47 which makes him the fastest man to ever complete the race in the Asia-Pacific region.

Having spent the majority of his life growing up in Neudorf, Josh moved to Australia to pursue a master's at the University of Melbourne a few years ago. At the time he was still playing rugby and aspiring to reach the highest level he could, unfortunately he was hit with a cruciate ligament injury that left him needing surgery.

Following such a significant injury it is very difficult to reach the explosive nature and physical demands that rugby requires. Still driven by that competitive spark, his interests shifted to what is arguably the most challenging fitness competition out there – HYROX.

HYROX combines both running and functional fitness - which are exercises designed to help you in a real world environment. After a 1km run, participants then perform a series of these functional fitness exercises and repeat eight times. The eight different exercises are as follows:

  • SkiErg (1000m)
  • Sled Push (50m)
  • Sled Pull (50m) 
  • Burpee Broad Jumps (80m)
  • Row (1000m) 
  • Farmers Carry (200m) 
  • Sandbag Lunges (100m)
  • Wall Balls

He managed to complete the race nearly two minutes faster than his nearest competitor, displaying complete dominance in his victory, which has now earned him a place at the World Championships in Chicago on 12 – 15 June 2025. What makes the feat even more impressive is that it was the first time that he has ever participated in a HYROX race.

Throughout the year over 500,000 athletes took part in races all across the globe, with less than 1% making it to the World Championships. Having already conquered Asia-Pacific, he now has six months to prepare for the World Championships in what will be his second ever outing at such an event.

Despite HYROX's massive success, it remains an unpaid event, meaning athletes must cover their own expenses to attend the World Championships. If you or your company are interested in supporting Josh's journey to Chicago through sponsorship, please feel free to reach out to him via email or his socials which you can find below.

Take a look at his race highlights here: