The 2025 Spartan World Championship Weekend Delivered Epic Battles
Hvar, Croatia — The island’s fortress walls, narrow streets, and Adriatic skyline set the stage for one of the most electrifying weekends in Spartan history. From explosive 100-metre sprints to gritty Sprint 5K battles, the world’s best OCR athletes descended on Hvar for the Spartan World Championships, and the world was watching. Broadcast live globally, fans witnessed history unfold as athletes from nearly 60 nations clashed on the global stage. Every race. Every second. Every heartbeat.
The 100M World Championship - Speed, Pressure, and Domination
The action ignited in Hvar’s historic city square for the Spartan 100M World Championship, where precision, power, and composure made all the difference.
Athletes battled through two timed qualification runs, with only their fastest time counting. The fastest 32 men and 32 women advanced into the knockout rounds, racing head to head for a place in the final. One slip, and it was over.
As the tension built and the lights blazed, all eyes turned to the Beckstrand brothers, who delivered a family showdown for the ages. In a thrilling duel that had fans on their feet, Luke Beckstrand (USA) edged out his brother Kai Beckstrand (USA) to claim gold, with Kieran Yuan (USA) rounding out an all-American men’s podium.
On the women’s side, 13-year-old Elizabeth Polsgrove (USA) stunned the field with nerves of steel, taking the World Championship title ahead of Jaleesa Himka (USA), while Lotta Kokemohr (GER) claimed bronze.
🔥 MEN 🥇 Luke Beckstrand (USA) – 00:28.4 🥈 Kai Beckstrand (USA) – 00:29.1 🥉 Kieran Yuan (USA) – 00:30.0
🔥 WOMEN 🥇 Elizabeth Polsgrove (USA) – 00:35.6 🥈 Jaleesa Himka (USA) – 00:36.2 🥉 Lotta Kokemohr (GER) – 00:37.0
This was pure Spartan racing. 100 metres of speed, chaos, and total control. Every millisecond mattered. Every heartbeat counted.
The Sprint 5K World Championship - Innovation, Surprises, and History's Closest Finish
The next day, Hvar’s fortress and coastline became the battleground for the Spartan Sprint 5K World Championship, a course packed with innovation, variety, and unpredictable challenges.
Twenty obstacles. Five kilometres. And the drama? It came to a head at the spear throw over water, a daring new twist to the obstacle with floating targets that tested even the fastest athletes’ skill and composure. Every throw mattered, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
The result was the closest finish in Spartan World Championship history, with just seven seconds separating the top three and 40 seconds between first and fifth overall.
In the women’s race, Sara Bäckström (SWE) stormed to victory in 47:11, holding off Tatsiana Pekhtserava 47:14 and Zuzana Kocumova (CZE) 47:18 in a thrilling sprint to the line.
In the men’s race, Richard Hynek (CZE) proved unstoppable, taking gold in 37:14, followed by Stijn Lagrand (NED) 38:54 and Gregory Basilico (FRA) 38:57 in another epic finish.
🔥 WOMEN 🥇 Sara Bäckström (SWE) – 47:11 🥈 Tatsiana Pekhtserava – 47:14 🥉 Zuzana Kocumova (CZE) – 47:18
🔥 MEN 🥇 Richard Hynek (CZE) – 37:14 🥈 Stijn Lagrand (NED) – 38:54 🥉 Gregory Basilico (FRA) – 38:57
From fortress climbs to floating spear targets and twisting city streets, the course was full of unpredictable challenges that kept athletes and fans alike on edge, proving once again that Hvar is more than a destination, it is a proving ground.
Relive Every Second
From the lightning-fast 100M duels to the photo finishes of the 5K Sprint, Hvar delivered a weekend for the history books. The energy. The drama. The heart. It was everything Spartan stands for.
Watch 100m Finals
Watch Sprint World Champions
Hvar Returns in 2026
Hvar will once again host the 100M and Sprint World Championships alongside a full Trifecta weekend. Grab your spot now as this event will sell out fast.
