Calm, Collected, Champion: Dylan Scott’s First HYROX World Title
A veteran in the field, toeing the line at his sixth World Championships, elite HYROX competitor Dylan Scott was relaxed. Experience had led him to a focused yet easygoing mindset — one he said is the best place to be for a race. Despite all the time he had spent at this level, competing against the sport’s greats, including past champions, Scott had yet to earn a title.
Race Night
“Walking into Thursday night, I was just very much in the place of like, ‘come in, execute your race plan. Let’s see where it puts you,’” Scott told the Morning Chalk Up. “So I was very calm, to be honest,” he continued.
Scott didn’t lead at the start of the race. Instead, previous champions Tim Wenisch, Hunter McIntyre, and Alex Roncevic surged to the front of the pack and stayed there.
But Scott expected that, and it did not shake him.
- “I’ve been behind a lot of times and worked my way back into races before. And I’m totally comfortable doing that because I’m like, ‘this is 55 minutes long. If I’m behind by a minute, at minute 22, well, the first 22 minutes of the race aren’t really my forte anyway. I still have 33 minutes to reverse this because it’s not like a running race,” Scott said.
Upcoming were the burpees, Scott’s bread and butter.
- “I’m a savage at burpees. I will track you down. You can have 30 seconds, and we’ll come out, and I’ll be on your heels,” Scott said.
The following run-row-run sequence is another segment in which Scott feels comfortable and can methodically pick off his competitors, as he began to do. The race progressed, and the men headed into the wallballs, their final station. Scott was sixth in, with Roncevic, McIntyre, and Wenisch already knocking out reps by the time Scott arrived.
The men in the lead had been “cooking hot,” as Scott put it, and he had full confidence he could knock out 100 reps unbroken, just as he always does, and possibly finish fourth.
But he also knew he could only control “how hard (he) tries” and whether he gave up mid-race. While staying fully aware of where the other racers stood in their counts, listening to the announcer, and focusing on his own reps, Scott began climbing the leaderboard.
- “Once we got to 50, I was passing Charlie (Botterill). I’ve got Luke, I’ve passed Charlie. I’m almost tied with Louie (Osselaer) and Louie’s got a 15-second penalty, so I’m okay there. And I’m like, ‘well, maybe I can get up to third,’” Scott said.
He continued, “And then to 75 and I’m like, ‘well, I have the gap.’ Hunter is now close because he’s got his penalty. So I’m like, ‘I think I’m gonna get second.’”
- “And then I hear, ‘Tim breaks again,’ and we are basically a second apart at 90. And I’m like, ‘he’s breaking like every 7 reps; he might break again,’ but I’m also thinking ‘he’s got 10 to do, he’s not breaking again.’ He breaks at 95. And I’m like, ‘yes as long as I can do these and get one step on him, I’m gonna outrun him.’ So, I throw the last one and see it tag the target and see the little green, and I’m already going,” Scott said.
Just Do It
It was a surreal weekend for Scott overall, not only because of his newly earned title of World Champion but also because of his new relationship with Nike.
In January, Scott officially became a Nike athlete, signing a contract with the brand and traveling to HQ in Portland, Oregon. While there, he recalls meeting experts on the sports performance team, such as Brett Kirby, having meaningful conversations, and participating in training sessions that continue to impact him.
In Stockholm, Scott raced in a prototype shoe. While there’s no set release date, there’s definitely buzz. But beyond the footwear, being part of the Nike team is invaluable in so many ways, as Scott shared.
- “Having access to people who are so much smarter than you are, but are also able to articulate those things at a level that you can understand and receive and then implement, has been super helpful,” Scott said.
“So there’s just like, you’ve got the material support, you’ve got the media support, and then you’ve also got the scientific knowledge to help you become the best athlete you could be,” he continued. “I mean, that’s something that I dreamed of as a kid. Then you have it come to life, and you’re like, ‘wow, this is all right here in my hands.’”
What’s Next
Through it all, Scott emphasizes that while he hopes to continue collecting accolades, medals, and race experience, he also hopes to inspire fellow athletes to enter the sport – it’s a unique community and one that deserves a spotlight.
The camaraderie among athletes (elites and hobbyists) runs deep, and as HYROX continues to grow, those bonds multiply. Scott mentioned multiple times that it’s a place for everyone – a diverse collection of humans from different backgrounds, united by fitness.
The 2026/2027 season is already in full swing for the champ. After a few days at a slower pace, Scott will gradually ramp up his training intensity in preparation for his first race of the season in October.
- Later that month, he’ll be taking on his first Elite race (formerly referred to as a Major), which will be held on the HYROX cruise October 21-25.
