Limerick’s Ellie Carmody reflects on HYROX World Championship silver success

Limerick’s Ellie Carmody reflects on HYROX World Championship silver success. Ellie pictured with teammate Grace Fitzgerald.

Limerick athlete, Ellie Carmody, reflects on a season of “so much more than racing” with a HYROX World Championship silver medal

Ellie Carmody, a 22-year-old Limerick athlete, is celebrating an impressive 2026 season, which has been one of the busiest, most challenging, and overall most rewarding years of her life.

The busy year saw the young athlete compete in the HYROX World Championships as well as completing the final year of her degree in Primary Teaching and Psychology at Mary Immaculate College

Ellie told I Love Limerick, “Balancing a dual degree, school placement, coaching at HYROX Limerick, and training wasn’t easy, but every early morning, late evening and sacrifice became worth it when I stood on the HYROX World Championship start line in Stockholm.”

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She reflects on the season as being “about so much more than racing”, with the athlete noting new friendships, academic success, and achieving fitness and competition goals as achievements throughout the year.

“In December, I teamed up with Grace Fitzgerald (25), a primary school teacher in St. John’s National School in Shannon and the owner of Graceful Pilates,” Ellie explains, adding, “Looking back now, it’s funny because we actually barely knew each other when we first decided to compete together.”

The pair trained together at Tony’s HYROX Limerick on the Ballysimon Road, and she credits Tony with forming the partnership. She said, “It was actually Tony who kept encouraging us to race as a pair. We probably wouldn’t have entered together if he hadn’t convinced us, and I’m so grateful he did.”

Saying they started their journey as training partners “who barely knew each other,” and little did they realise they would finish the season as silver medalists at the HYROX World Championships and as “best friends”.

Speaking about the journey, Ellie said, “Since December, we’ve competed in five HYROX races together. We won our age group in Manchester, became HYROX European Champions in London in March, won again in Berlin, and finally travelled to Stockholm on June 20th to compete against the best athletes in the world at the HYROX World Championships, where we finished second in the Women’s Doubles 16–24 age group.”

She explained how great moments continued to arrive, with one unforgettable moment coming before arriving in Sweden.

She said, “Grace and I were selected by adidas Training as two of just 111 athletes from around the world to join PRJKT III, an invitation-only athlete programme for the HYROX World Championships.”

She says receiving the email was “surreal”, knowing Adidas believed in the duo enough to support them “on one of the biggest stages in the sport was something I’ll never forget”.

For the pair, their Stockholm experience would exceed every expectation, with the opportunity to meet athletes from all over the world, as well as representing Adidas throughout the week, the duo would step on the podium of the World Championships with silver medals, Ellie saying, “It was an experience I’ll treasure forever.”

Grateful for the support throughout the season, Ellie said, “None of this would have been possible without Tony and everyone at HYROX Limerick. The support we’ve received has been incredible. It’s so much more than a gym—it’s a community where everyone wants to see each other succeed. I’m incredibly grateful to train, coach and be part of such an inspiring environment.”

Beyond her personal training, a highlight for Ellie is seeing the sport grow in the region, giving her the opportunity to coach at HYROX Limerick and the recent addition of the kids’ HYROX classes.

She said, “Seeing young people build confidence, enjoy exercise and realise what they’re capable of has been one of the most rewarding parts of my journey.”

The growth of the sport and support for young athletes is a passion of Ellie’s, and she is grateful for the opportunity to witness it firsthand.

She said, “That’s something I’m really passionate about. I want more girls to see that being strong is something to celebrate. Strength and athleticism aren’t something to shy away from—they’re something to be proud of. I hope Grace and I can inspire more girls and young women to get involved in sport, challenge themselves and realise they’re capable of achieving incredible things.”

Speaking about the silver medals, she says what they represent mean so much more than the physical achievement, saying, “Looking back, I’m proud of the medals, but I’m even prouder of everything they represent—the friendships, the community, the hard work and the memories we’ve made along the way.

“This season has shown me that some of the best opportunities come from simply saying yes. I never imagined that saying yes to racing with someone I barely knew would lead to travelling across Europe, representing adidas, standing on a World Championship podium and gaining one of my best friends in the process.”

Looking forward to the upcoming season, she took a moment to share her appreciation for the support throughout 2026. She said, “I’m so grateful for everyone who has supported us throughout this journey, and I’m already excited to see where the next season takes us.”