Cayman-raised athlete Jude Reynolds captured gold in Sweden at the Puma Hyrox World Championships Stockholm 2026, executing a masterful come-from-behind victory to secure the world title in his age category.
Competing on 19 June, in the age 16-24 category, the former Cayman Prep and High School student crossed the finish line in the Pro Singles division with a personal best time of 56 minutes and six seconds.
Down in 26th place after the first of eight runs, Reynolds, 23, fought his way back to second by the halfway point of the race. Starting the final station, he held the lead by half a minute and while the rest of the field tried to keep up, he doubled his lead to grab the first-place finish.
Reynolds’ performance put him nearly a full minute ahead of his closest rival, Sam Schoeman of the Netherlands, who completed the race in 57 minutes and three seconds.
Additionally, Reynolds capped off a remarkable competitive weekend the following day in the age 16-24 category by securing second place in the Pro Doubles Men alongside his partner Michael ODonnell, missing out on gold by just one second with a time of 51:34 minutes.
Prior to the 2026 championships, Reynolds saw age group wins in Vancouver, Malaga and Barcelona during the season set him up as the third-ranked athlete going into the World Championships.
The build up to gold
A Hyrox race is an intense hybrid fitness test that pushes endurance limits where competitors must complete eight distinct one-kilometre runs, with each lap separated by a demanding gym station that tests strength and stamina through movements like pushing weighted sleds, rowing and lunging with heavy sandbags.
While the average competitor can take roughly 90 minutes to complete a Hyrox course, Reynolds, who completed his first-ever Hyrox race in March 2024, operates on an entirely different level, an achievement he attributes to an intense journey of sacrifice and preparation.
At the previous World Championships, Reynolds placed 22nd in his age group with a time over 64 minutes, a period during which he was still balancing his passion with a full-time job as a trainer at a gym in Crawley, England.
“I prepared for this specific race since the day after the World Championships last year. Training looked different throughout the year, and this is because I was training two and a half to three hours before or after work depending on whether I was on a day or evening shift at [my job],” Reynolds said.
“I was able to leave this [job] and pursue being an athlete full time from October of 2025 onwards. I now coach online and train on average three to four hours per day,” he added.
Reynolds stayed in Cayman for roughly a month just before the World Championships for some key heat training in the Cayman early summer. During that time, he worked out at the AgileFit gym, where he also conducted a Hyrox Pop-up Workshop and Workout in May.
This year he also trained at Great Wight Fitness where he also conducted a workshop to help people with their Hyrox skills.
Despite his “two biggest challenges” which included having to sacrifice spending time with friends and a lot of the food he loves, Reynolds described the win as meaning more than words could describe.
“Winning this World Champion title meant more than I can and ever will be able to describe. It’s something I never fully or genuinely thought would happen to me as it’s just one of those things you hope for but never truly think will happen,” Reynolds said.
He added, “I always knew it could happen but never knew it would. It means so much to be able to have raced that well in a race I dedicated to my grandad who recently passed away, but also in front of my friends and family who have supported me so much over the past 18 months pursuing and obsessing over this sport.”
Looking ahead, the newly crowned champion hopes to continue elevating in his Hyrox career.
“My next goal is simple. Do what I did this year, but better. I want to ultimately break into the Elite 15 which is the top 15 athletes in the world regardless of age,” Reynolds said.
“But if that doesn’t happen this season, I’d like to retain my under-24 world title in the Singles and improve my second overall finish in the Doubles to first place, making myself the first U24 Double World Champion, which I was one second away from doing this year,” he added.
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