Ian Reid won a silver medal at the HYROX European Championships in Austria.

Reid was taking part in just his second HYROX competition after taking up the sport at the end of last year.

He’s clearly got a flair for it, though, adding to his victory at the Excel in London with European silver in the 55-59 class.

The Maidstone man also improved his London time by 43 seconds, crossing the line in 1hr08min16sec, despite serving a penalty on one of the workout stations.

His exploits in Vienna moved him up to all-time second in the UK rankings for his age category and 10th in the world, up two places from 12th.

“It was only my second competition, so you never know how it’s going to go,” said Reid, who trains at Evolution Strength & Fitness in Aylesford.

“In London they sent everyone out randomly but this, being the European Championships, they sent us all out together, so you knew where you were in the field, which made it a bit more exciting.

“After the first run, I was third at the first station and by the second station I was near-enough level with second.

“By the time we got to the third station I’d overtaken him and I managed to hold on to second place, despite a penalty on the farmer’s carry station, which cost me a minute.

“I was a little disappointed to lose the minute but I still beat my London time, so I was happy with that.

“Vienna was a beautiful city and it was nice to go and compete abroad against people from different countries. It just keeps my appetite going for more of these competitions and to see how good I can get.”

Reid is teaming up with partner Claire Lowe at HYROX Mechelen in Belgium next month. They will compete in the mixed pairs 50-59 category, with Reid arranging the trip as a birthday gift.

He’s also secured entry to the London Olympia event in May, competing in the pro event as preparation for the following month’s World Championships in Chicago.

“It’ll be my first time doing the pro level - where they bump up the weights - which gives me a practice run for Chicago,” said Reid.

“Otherwise, I’d be turning up at the World Championships having never competed at pro level before.

“This will give me a little insight into how I’m faring at that level. I’ve been using pro weights in some of my training to get accustomed.

“There’s also separate rankings for standard and pro, so I’ll also be getting a pro ranking, which is something I really want as well.”

Reid would like to thank Bio-Synergy for their help with his nutrition.