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Dutch athlete Hidde Weersma has set a new world record in the Hyrox men’s pro division, clocking a staggering winning time of 52:42. In doing so, he becomes the first athlete to break the 53-minute barrier – and in just his third Elite 15 race, no less.
Weersma’s win at Olympia London also sees him crowned the 2026 Hyrox EMEA champion, beating a field that included world champion Tim Wenisch. The 24-year-old averaged a running pace of 3:45 per kilometre across the race, while spending a total of 22:49 on the eight workout stations.
Weersma led the race heading into the 1,000m row, only relinquishing first place to Wenisch on the final run. And although the German managed to finish his wall balls ahead of the 24-year-old, he still had 30 seconds of penalties to serve. This allowed Weersma to cross the line first and set a new world record in the men’s pro division.
‘In the interview after Hamburg we were really emotional, because we knew it was the last race my father would be there,’ Weersma said after his victory. ‘And he passed away last November. I’m sad that he isn’t here, but I’m also really proud – in the last few weeks we spoke a lot and he said he was really proud of me and knew I was going to go far in this sport.
‘To win my first elite race, to do this [set a new world record], it means so much. And I just miss him.’
Hidde Weersma Hyrox Split Times
Run: 1: 03:27
1,000m Ski Erg: 03:36
Run 2: 03:33
50m Sled Push: 02:10
Run 3: 03:29
50m Sled Pull: 02:48
Run 4: 03:41
80m Burpee Broad Jump: 02:09
Run 5: 03:34
1,000m Row: 03:49
Run 6: 04:01
200m Farmer’s Carry: 01:21
Run 7: 03:50
100m Sandbag Lunges: 02:51
Run 8: 04:27
100 Wall Balls: 04:05
Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.
During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.
Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running – he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_
