Two men from a West Devon gym have strained every muscle to prove age is no barrier to fitness by lifting world championship gym trophies.

Kevin Marshall and Danny Wood secured the world title after months of dedicated preparation at Tamar Performance Centre (TPC) in Lifton under coaches Matt Luxton and Charlie Wevill.

The pair have been crowned Hyrox World Champions after winning the men’s 60-64 age group (while competing as a pair) in Stockholm. The competition brings together the fastest hybrid athletes to compete for age and elite titles across a gruelling Hyrox programme – a combination of eight km of running and eight workout stations, including pulling, carrying, static rowing/skiing, lunges and burpee jumps.

After qualifying to compete against the world’s best athletes in their age group, the pair produced an outstanding performance to become world champions in one of the fastest-growing fitness sports.

Kevin said: “Standing on the top of the podium with the national anthem playing was an unbelievable experience. It's all down to the incredible team around me, my coaches Matt and Charlie, my sports masseur Sarah, all the athletes that go to the Saturday sessions in Lifton for their support and encouragement and my Hyrox partner Danny.”

Danny said: “Charlie paired me with a great partner in Kevin, and we complemented each other really well.

“Charlie’s coaching approach was different from anything I’d experienced before, but it proved incredibly successful. He quickly identified the areas where I needed to improve and helped me work on those weaknesses, which made a huge difference to my performance.

“Winning a world championship is something I’m immensely proud of. It shows what’s possible with the right coaching, consistency and commitment. I hope our success encourages others to realise that age should never be a barrier to setting ambitious goals and achieving them.”

Coach Matt said: “While winning the medals is remarkable, us coaches believe the real story is what their success represents. Kevin and Danny prove that age doesn’t define what’s possible.

“They’re both local men with jobs, families and everyday commitments. They simply turned up consistently, trusted the process and put the work in over many months.

“This isn’t really a story about elite athletes. It’s a story about what can happen when ordinary people commit to improving themselves.”

The pair trained as part of the wider community at TPC, where members of all ages and abilities work towards personal goals.

Kevin trains in-person at the centre, while Danny followed a remotely coached programme by Charlie through the centre’s online coaching, allowing them to prepare together despite living miles apart.

Matt added: “We’re incredibly proud of them, but we’re equally proud of the environment they’ve helped us create, aspirational and inspirational. Seeing those at the world championships training alongside complete beginners weekly shows everyone belongs and can improve.”

The two men make an ‘exceptional’ competition pair, even though they are contrasting personalities. Kevin is ‘humble and understated’, while Danny is ‘fiercely competitive, relentlessly driven and motivated by nothing less than first place’, said Matt.