Stephani van Zyl did rhythmic gymnastics for 16 years. Her mom coached her. Her dad was supposed to be a South African Olympian. When gymnastics ended at 19, she spent five years trying to find the next thing triple jump, running, resistance training but injuries and scoliosis kept pulling her back.

Then she found HYROX. First race ever: 3rd overall in Women's Pro doubles. First solo: 10th overall, 3rd in age group. Two races, two podiums.

In this conversation, she breaks down why she approaches HYROX stations as mechanical problems rather than fitness challenges, why mobility matters more than most athletes realise, what Pilates actually does and doesn't do for your body, and why she thinks the best thing you can give a young athlete is a gymnastics foundation.

We also talk about training at 4:30am alongside a full-time job, competing with scoliosis, and why she waited years to post on social media because she's a perfectionist who wasn't ready to put herself out there.

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