Alexander Rončević Claims Second 2025/26 HYROX Major, Sets Sights on Worlds
Last October, the 2023/2024 HYROX World Champion Alexander Rončević set a new World Record at the first Major of the season in Hamburg, finishing in 53:16.
- The previous WR was set by Hunter McIntyre in 2023 at 53:22.
This season, Rončević is racking up wins not only as a solo racer but also as an Elite Doubles competitor. In Hamburg, he raced alongside 2024/2025 World Champion Tim Wenisch, and they won with a time of 49:17.
Representing Red Bull and the shoe brand, On, last weekend at the Phoenix Major, Rončević finished just 0.01 seconds away from matching his previous WR and 0.02 seconds away from beating it.
It’s safe to say that he is at the absolute top of his game.
Some Background
Rončević can tap into the endurance he built as a competitive swimmer for 18 years and thrive in the world of hybrid sports. What he recognizes as more valuable, however, is the mental strength gained through all those years of training.
- “This helps me a lot now when it comes to long, hard workouts where I need to dig deep and go hard. I simply keep moving; there is no quitting,” Rončević told Morning Chalk Up.
This is Rončević’s first season as a full-time professional athlete, having quit his job and working with two different coaches, one focusing on running and the other on HYROX conditioning. He has embraced a different routine, allotting more time for recovery and quality time with friends and family between his structured workouts.
He’s focused primarily on his running game and on making sure no energy is wasted. He shares that he still has a long way to go. His mindset remains the same as every season; however, he’ll keep pushing his limits in the sport and “make sure to motivate as many people as possible for their first HYROX.”
The Road to Stockholm
As Rončević has already qualified for the World Championships in June, he looks to take a few days off, reveling in his win from Phoenix, but a few days off means just that – he’s competing at the Vienna HYROX this weekend, one he considers his “home race.” It’s a special one, he acknowledges, because all his friends and family will be there watching.
- In April, he’ll head to the last major, in Warsaw, Poland, where he’ll take the start line with Doubles partner Wenisch once again.
The HYROX Community
As many elite HYROX athletes have shared in recent years, Rončević recognizes that, without the sport’s emergence and subsequent boom, he would be a “normal guy working out there for some company.”
- “For me, it opened big doors, from the very beginning, it gave me a new opportunity to show that swimming was just one part of my sporting career, and the even bigger one is just about to start,” Rončević says.
He’s grateful for what the HYROX founders, Moe Fürste and Christian Toetzke, built and for every methodical step they took from the beginning. He’s hopeful this movement motivates people to change their lifestyles and pursue big goals.
He compares the HYROX community to those of other sports and says it’s much more supportive among athletes.
- “There is no hate or beef like in soccer or other team sports; once you have clubs, everything goes wrong. We had the same in swimming: during the competition, you can’t talk to other teams, one coach is better than the other, and all that bullshit. We share the same passion, and we support each other. If one is better, train harder and do better next time,” Rončević says.
Rončević plans to compete at least two more times leading up to Stockholm, but his overarching goal for the 2025/2026 season is simple: reclaim the HYROX World Championship title.
