HYROX returns to Australia for the second Major of the 2025–2026 season. Hamburg opened the series in October. Melbourne is next, followed by Phoenix and Warsaw. This guide breaks down how the Elite 15 fields were formed, which athletes are actually lining up, how far the roll-down process went, and what the weekend looks like for spectators and viewers at home.

How the Elite 15 Qualification System Works

The Elite 15 is built from two pathways. These rules apply to both the men and women.

Category One: Automatic Qualifiers

This includes:

• Every Major winner from the 2024–2025 season
• The podium from the 2025 World Championships (roll downs extend to fifth place if a Major winner finished inside the top three)

For this season, five women and six men earned automatic entry into the Elite 15.

Category Two: Fastest Two-Race Average

HYROX takes each athlete’s fastest two race results from the previous 365 days. The cutoff for Melbourne was twenty-one days before race day.

Men’s Elite 15: Who Is Actually Racing in Melbourne

Automatic Qualifiers

1. James Kelly – Major winner (Glasgow, 1st place)
2. Tim Wenisch – Worlds podium (Chicago, 1st place)
3. Hunter McIntyre – Worlds podium (Chicago, 2nd place)
4. Alexander Roncevic – Major winner (Amsterdam, 1st place)
5. Jon Wynn – Worlds roll down (Chicago, 5th place)
6. Dylan Scott – Major winner (Las Vegas, 1st place)

Time Qualifiers

7. Sean Noble – 54:55
8. Rich Ryan – 54:58
9. Cole Learn – 55:03
10. Josh Van Zeeland – 55:09
11. Charlie Botterill – 55:10
12. Hidde Weersma – 55:18
13. Beau Wills – 55:20
14. Tomas Tvrdik – 55:25
15. Jake Dearden – 55:30

Declined Automatic Spots

Alexander Roncevic
Dylan Scott

Declined Time-Qualified Spots

Rich Ryan
Hidde Weersma
Tomas Tvrdik

HYROX fills the remaining spots by progressing down the time-qualified list until the field reaches 15 athletes.

Declined

Richard Hynek (17)
Aitor Lizarazu (19)
Tom Rodgers (20)
Emilio Aguayo (22)
Pelayo Menendez (24)
Afan Humphries (25)

Accepted

Alen Ploj (16)
Maarten Enthoven (18)
Graham Halliday (21)
Liam McCroary (23)
Marc Dean (26)

HYROX finalized the men’s field at rank 26, making this one of the deepest roll-downs used for a Major.

Women’s Elite 15: Who Is Actually Racing in Melbourne

Automatic Qualifiers

1. Lauren Weeks – Major winner (Glasgow, 1st place)
2. Linda Meier – Worlds podium (Chicago, 1st place)
3. Joanna Wietrzyk – Major winner (Hong Kong, 1st place)
4. Sinéad Bent – Worlds roll down (Chicago, 4th place)
5. Lucy Procter – Worlds roll down (Chicago, 5th place)

Time Qualifiers

6. Vivian Tafuto – 59:07
7. Seka Arning – 1:00:32
8. Melanie Maurer – 1:00:50
9. Gabrielle Nikora-Baker – 1:00:54
10. Lena Putters – 1:00:56
11. Jess Pettrow – 1:01:06
12. Emilie Dahmen – 1:01:11
13. Manuela García Caparrós – 1:01:11
14. Kat Parnell – 1:01:13
15. Elli Stenfors – 1:01:22

(All five automatic qualifiers accepted their spots.)

HYROX fills the remaining openings by progressing down the time-qualified list until the field reaches 15 athletes.

Declined Time-Qualified Spots

Vivian Tafuto
Lena Putters
Emilie Dahmen

Accepted

Zara Piergianni (16)
Sophia Parvizi Wayne (17)
Tanja Stroschneider (18)

Final start list for Melbourne HYROX Major 2025

Elite Men

1. Tim Wenisch 🇩🇪 GER
2. James Kelly 🇦🇺 AUS
3. Hunter McIntyre 🇺🇸 USA
4. Jon Wynn 🇦🇺 AUS
5. Sean Noble 🇮🇪 IRL
6. Cole Learn 🇨🇦 CAN
7. Josh Van Zeeland 🇬🇧 ENG
8. Charlie Botterill 🇬🇧 ENG
9. Beau Wills 🇳🇿 NZL
10. Jake Dearden 🇬🇧 ENG
11. Alen Ploj 🇸🇮 SLO
12. Maarten Enthoven 🇳🇱 NED
13. Graham Halliday 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 SCO
14. Liam McCroary 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 SCO
15. Marc Dean 🇬🇧 ENG

Elite Women

1. Linda Meier 🇩🇪 GER
2. Lauren Weeks 🇺🇸 USA
3. Joanna Wietrzyk 🇦🇺 AUS
4. Sinéad Bent 🇬🇧 ENG
5. Lucy Procter 🇬🇧 ENG
6. Seka Arning 🇩🇪 GER
7. Melanie Maurer 🇨🇭 SUI
8. Gabrielle Nikora-Baker 🇳🇿 NZL
9. Jess Pettrow 🇦🇺 AUS
10. Manuela García Caparrós 🇪🇸 ESP
11. Kat Parnell 🇬🇧 ENG
12. Elli Stenfors 🇫🇮 FIN
13. Zara Piergianni 🇬🇧 ENG
14. Sophia Parvizi Wayne 🇬🇧 ENG
15. Tanja Stroschneider 🇦🇹 AUT

How To Qualify for the World Championships from The HYROX Majors

The top three men and top three women at each major will qualify for the 2026 World Championships in Sweden.

Men already qualified from Hamburg Major
Alexander Roncevic
Dylan Scott
Hidde Weersma

If Hidde finishes inside the top three again in Melbourne, his spot will roll down.

Women already qualified from Hamburg Major
Joanna Wietrzyk
Lauren Weeks
Vivian Tafuto

If Joanna or Lauren finish inside the top three, their qualification spots will roll down to the next finishers.

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