Imogen Amos has continued her superb start to competing in HYROX fitness events.

Having won at her first competition in London earlier this year, Amos, from Wye, near Ashford, finished top of the 16-24 age group and third overall at last month’s Birmingham event.

HYROX is a fitness competition that combines running with workouts.

Still new to the sport, Amos was informed she couldn’t challenge for the world record in Birmingham - due to the course having a different layout to the one she had used in London - but she still shone, finishing in a time of 1hr05min14sec.

She said: “I found it harder than the first one I did.

“I don’t know why but I was much sorer afterwards. On the Monday, I was in so much pain and my back was in agony.

“But it was good. I maybe went into it putting a lot of pressure on myself because I knew I could do well and I’d trained hard to make sure I could cut time down in each station.

“All my stations were much quicker than my previous time. But I didn’t know that courses at different places cannot really be compared.

“There’s the Roxzone, which is like the time in between each station, before you go back out for a run.

“In London when I did it, with how the course was laid out, that meant the Roxzone was really short. So, I was only in there for about two-and-a-half minutes over the entire time.

“But with this course, even before I did it, everyone was saying ‘Oh, the Roxzone is so long’ - and I was in the Roxzone for 4min58sec.

"If it was like London, I’d have got a personal-best time and been really happy but, because it wasn’t, I was a bit disappointed that I couldn’t do what I wanted to.”

Amos also had to throw 100 wall balls - 25 more than she is used to - in Birmingham.

She explained: “When I did it in London, the amount of wall balls you had to do was 75 - but they have just added this rule in. Everyone has to do 100.

“When I was doing the wall balls, I checked my watch after I’d done 75 and I’d have just got a personal-best despite the Roxzone being longer and adapting to a different course.”

Nevertheless, the only women to finish ahead were Team GB marathon runner Rachel Hodgkinson (1:03.01) and Olympic road cyclist Nikki Brammeier (1:03.41).

Amos said: “If I do London at Olympia again, hopefully, it’ll have the same layout and I can go again.

“But I still won in my age group and was third [female] overall, behind a GB marathon runner - which is ridiculous - and a former Olympian.

"So, I cannot be too upset!”

While some of those Amos competes against are full-time athletes, the 23-year-old still has to balance training at SISU Fitness in Rochester with her job.

“I wish I had more time,” admitted Amos, whose background is in long-distance running.

“Where I’m working, it’s hard to fit the training in. In comparison to most people, I still struggle with that.

“I wish I had the time to spend all day training and recovering - but I just don’t.

“If I want to beat people that are in The Elite 15 Series or winning in the Pro category, they just don’t do anything but train.

"I need to figure stuff out and - somehow - fit it all in.”

Amos’ latest display means she has qualified for the World Championships in the United States in June.

“That’s in Chicago,” she said. “It’s quite a long way, isn’t it?

"I want to go, but it’s just expensive with the travelling all that way. I know my parents would take me happily, but it’s just expensive.

“Then again, it could be a holiday, as well. We’ll see.”

Amos will be back in action at ExCeL London where she will be partnered with coach Joe Bingham for a mixed doubles race at an event from November 29 until December 1.

Amos said: “He’s just a different breed!

“He’s just ridiculously quick, ridiculously strong, so that’ll be interesting to watch.”

Amos now has also booked to compete at the European Championships in Vienna, Austria, in February.