Tom Hogan of Ireland emerged victorious in the final Elite 15 Qualifier at the HYROX race held in Hong Kong. Highlighting the competition was the impressive performance of U.S. newcomer Gabe Heck, renowned for his time as a Spartan Race competitor.
In the lead at the sleds, Heck was the first male finisher. However, he mistakenly exited the “in” arch rather than the “out” after completing a station, resulting in a one-minute penalty. Due to where the arch was, it could be argued the mistake was not beneficial to Heck. Still, HYROX maintained an impartial approach to infractions and upheld the penalty.
Despite this setback, Heck’s debut HYROX race resulted in a podium finish. The Women’s division comprised a small field of only 10 competitors, but a compelling battle saw Kimi Isom take the title by five seconds over Michiko Sato.
2023 HYROX Hong Kong Results
Below are the 2023 HYROX Hong Kong results:
Elite Men’s Division
- Tom Hogan (IRL) — 00:58:16
- James Kelly (AUS) — 00:58:36
- Gabe Heck (USA) — 00:59:01
- Rayda Kezaz (FRA) — 01:05:54
- Nate Lovitt (USA) — 01:07:30
- Johnny Tieu (USA) — 01:07:34
- James Loughray (GBR) — 01:07:41
- Phil Snowden (ENG) — 01:07:47
- Roy Ng (HKG) — 01:08:53
- Andrea Cloarec (FRA) — 01:09:42
- Chris Kinloch (GBR) — 01:11:50
- Romain Butaye (FRA) — 01:12:19
Elite Women’s Division
- Kimi Isom (USA) — 01:18:48
- Michiko Sato (JPN) — 01:18:53
- Jade-IIona Errington (GBR) — 01:25:00
- Stephanie Poelman (USA) — 01:28:27
- Vivian Chen (AUD)— 01:30:07
- Kathleen Maru Dino (PHI)— 01:34:16
- Ka Wai Luk (HKG) — 01:40:24
- Clare Lim (HKG) — 01:45:34
- Susann Suarez (COL) — 01:47:07
- Yi-Ling Yeo (SIN) — 01:49:58
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2023 HYROX Hong Kong Recap
As fate would have it, Tom Hogan claimed first place after setting his sights on the Elite 15. His hard work paid off as he earned a coveted spot at the 2023 HYROX World Championships in Manchester, UK, scheduled for May 27.
James Kelly secured the silver-medal podium spot, but it was bittersweet as his time fell short of qualifying for the Elite 15; he was 15 seconds shy of Peter Schiller‘s time. Schiller remains the first alternate should any of the Elite 15 be unable to compete at the 2023 HYROX World Championships.
There was a significant difference in finishing time from third to fourth place in the Men’s division, but the battle from fourth to eighth remained competitive as athletes in those ranks finished at 1:07 and change.
Women’s Division
Kimi Isom of the U.S., who calls China home, emerged victorious, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:18:48. On her heels was Michiko Sato of Japan, finishing only five seconds later at 1:18:53.
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Ilona Jade Errington of the UK secured the third-place spot, maintaining distance between herself and the rest of the field. This was a notable debut for Errington, previously most recognized as a Spartan Race Regional Champion.
The presence of these three accomplished female athletes, well-known in the Asia-Pacific obstacle course racing (OCR) world, highlights the expanding influence of HYROX in the region. Their performances foreshadow a promising future for HYROX in Asia-Pacific.
The HYROX Hong Kong race was the last qualifying event before the 2023 HYROX World Championships. The leaderboard is finalized for the Elite 15 athletes; unless someone on the leaderboard declines their invite or cannot compete.
Featured image: @hogan.tom on Instagram
