Jake Dearden forced to watch from the sidelines after cruel injury wrecks World Championship hopes.
The HYROX World Championships was supposed to be the stage that saw budding hybrid star Jake Dearden continue his meteoric rise.
Having secured long-awaited solo qualification against the odds in Glasgow, the Manchester-born competitor was set to appear in three Elite 15 races over the weekend, also captaining England in their defence of the Mixed Relay crown.
In a cruel twist of fate, he was forced to withdraw before even completing one. Dearden — a HYROX master trainer sponsored by the likes of Red Bull, Built for Athletes, and Puma — made it halfway through the Elite 15 Men’s race before pulling up.
He aggravated a nerve issue sustained during a warm-up HYROX event in New York two weeks earlier.
Despite nursing the injury, the 25-year-old — who was the youngest in the race — said he felt in the shape of his life heading into the contest.
His calf, however, refused to match his conditioning, and his time in Chicago was cut devastatingly short.
“Unfortunately tonight wasn’t my night,” he wrote on Instagram in the aftermath. “I had to pull out of the race. I’ve been suffering with a few nerve issues since New York two weeks ago, but with me feeling as fit as ever in the gym, I wanted to race.
“Tonight my leg didn’t feel like mine. No power, no connection, just numbness. I was limping round the track.
“Just before half way I called it a day. A decision made to stop any further damage. I’m so gutted, but I’ll learn more from this race than any race that has gone well.
“I’d like to say thank you to everyone supporting. The energy was electric, every cheer made me smile and I’m so grateful. Thank you to the HYROX team for putting on the best event yet and well done to every athlete who competed, every one of you are role models to myself and many others.”
Germany’s Tim Wenisch went on to win the Elite 15 Men’s solo race, and also topped the podium in the Elite 15 Men’s Doubles with partner Jannik Czapla.
Jake Dearden still captained England in the Mixed Relay, though Charlie Botterill stepped up to race in his place. England ultimately lost their title, with Team Australia taking the win following Team USA’s disqualification.
Bizarrely, the final position couldn’t be differentiated between England and Belgium, resulting in a joint second place being awarded to both nations.
“As for myself, this is just part of the story,” he concluded. “We’ll be back soon.”
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