Dzintra Grech once again underlined her status as one of Malta’s leading fitness racers after delivering a remarkable performance at HYROX Verona, where she qualified for the HYROX World Championships 2026 in three different categories, capping off a historic weekend for Maltese athletes on the international stage.
Grech’s achievement formed the centrepiece of an outstanding Maltese showing in Verona, where Team Warehouse recorded a record-breaking haul of 17 podium finishes, including eight first-place victories, marking the most successful HYROX event ever for a Maltese contingent.
The success comes ahead of the HYROX World Championships 2026, which have been officially confirmed for Stockholm, Sweden, and will take place at the Strawberry Arena from 18 to 21 June 2026. The four-day event represents the pinnacle of the HYROX season, bringing together elite athletes, age group competitors, doubles and adaptive divisions as competitors battle for world titles.
Grech’s rise has been built on resilience and relentless determination, a journey she explained earlier this year in an exclusive interview with Malta Sport after qualifying in the Pro category. She revealed how her path into HYROX began not through elite sport but as a response to chronic back pain after moving to Malta. What started as a way to rebuild strength evolved into competitive racing, shaped by years of discipline and a demanding daily routine that balances multiple training sessions, coaching, work and family life.
That mindset was evident throughout the Verona weekend. In the Pro Doubles Women category, Grech teamed up with Katrina Cuschieri to secure a dominant first-place overall finish out of 100 competing pairs. Their time of 1:00:03 earned them a World Championship qualification slot.
Further Maltese success followed in the same category, with Lara Seychell and Jessica Gatt claiming first place in the 25–29 age group, qualifying them for the World Championships. Meanwhile, Amanda Vella Borg and Sanni Toivakka finished second in the 35–39 category, also securing their place in Stockholm.
Grech continued her podium run in the Pro Women race, where she placed second in the 35–39 age group, already securing qualification for the World Championships in that category. Katrina Cuschieri added another qualification with a second-place finish in the 25–29 age group, while Paula Grech claimed third place in the 30–34 age group, further strengthening Malta’s medal tally.
Malta’s success extended to the Pro Doubles Men category, where Giovanni Pappalardo and Avner Vella secured third place in the 40–44 age group.
One of the standout moments of the entire event came in the Doubles Men category, where Maltese athletes collected four white flags, awarded to category winners. Mark Magri and Ede Kossari Tarnik claimed an outstanding overall victory, finishing ahead of more than 700 athletes with a time of 54:55 and securing first place in their age group. Dalziel Bugeja and Gabriel Borg also impressed, finishing inside the top ten overall and first in their age group with a time of 56:55.
In the Doubles Mixed category, Grech once again featured prominently, teaming up with Mark Magri to secure third place in their age group and another World Championship qualification, further highlighting her versatility across multiple race formats.
With 17 podium finishes and eight gold medals, HYROX Verona will be remembered as a landmark moment for Maltese fitness racing. As attention now turns towards Stockholm 2026, Dzintra Grech’s performances stand as a symbol of Malta’s growing ambition and presence on the world HYROX stage.
