Sensation of Success Fuels Him
As a family man—or even as the head of their IT development company—Máté Gyömrei, the former Veszprém winner of Ninja Warrior Hungary, would have plenty to be proud of. But for him, sport is something of a personal therapist, and he finds his greatest joy in pushing his own limits. Training truly is his life; he almost feels out of sorts if he can’t stay active. The 2025 Spartan Race World Championship silver medalist always needs new goals, because competition and constantly testing his boundaries are what drive him forward and fuel his development.
Many will surely remember the young man who, a few years ago, became our “local” hero through television screens. Even though there were stronger and more technically skilled competitors on the show, he handled pressure better than anyone else. In the first season of Ninja Warrior Hungary, Máté Gyömrei finished ahead of everyone; in the second season he was “only” a finalist, and in the third he took second place—after successfully completing the event’s monumental obstacle courses. A standout talent of Liget Boulder, formerly known as Veszprém Climbing Club, he pressed the red buttons atop the towers as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In the arena, he fought his way forward with an extraordinary performance and came close to officially becoming a ninja—in other words, earning a place among the world’s best “shadow warriors.”
Now 37 years old, this sportsman already stood out in kindergarten with his above-average need for exercise. Later, he did gymnastics, athletics, handball, and soccer, and demonstrated his skills in competitions, multi-event championships, and matches.
"Soccer was the most successful, the team leaders counted on me as a midfielder and striker, and when I got the ball, my teammates just said, "...solve it!"
smiles as he turns back the wheel of time.
"As children, my siblings and I played soccer a lot with our neighbors, and then at Simonyi School, they noticed that I had some talent. Interestingly, I loved playing on the school team, and I even became the top scorer in several tournaments, but later on, when I joined VFC USE, I no longer had that feeling, and over time I didn't even want to go to practice. After that, I tried my hand at Eastern martial arts and dance, until my mother noticed an article in the county newspaper after the turn of the millennium, which said that the climbing wall at Vétesi High School had been moved to the renovated gym of Padányi School. Out of curiosity, I went to one of the club's practices and got hooked,"
he says. Even today, he considers signing up for the climbing club, where he found great camaraderie and a large family, to be one of the best decisions of his life. This became the sport that was right for him, and he was able to reach new heights from time to time. It wasn't primarily the successes that attracted him, but the fact that he could relax and be together with his new friends.
While rock climbing remains a lifelong passion for him, he and his climbing partners tried their hand at Spartan Race, which had just arrived in our country at the time. They didn't exactly breeze through the course, because they hadn't done much running before, but they did so well in the "monkey" sections that they finished in second place. They decided that their debut would have a sequel. In addition to their climbing and gym training, they also took up running training so that they could move faster later on. They also paid their respects at the OCR obstacle course, where the organizers filled the competition area with natural and man-made obstacles. Even today, they prefer events that are more difficult than average. After their successes at home, it was no surprise that our heroes took part in the World Championships in Hvar, Croatia, in the fall, where Máté won a silver medal in the 35-39 age group.
"There were 110 of us in the field and we had seven kilometers to cover. We swam in the sea four times, once with the log we had been carrying on our shoulders, but there were also obstacles and stairs waiting for us, so we picked up our feet and climbed mountains and descended into valleys. Along the way, we completed balancing obstacles and various climbing walls, and we also threw javelins. My primary goal was not to achieve the best possible ranking, but to participate in as many events as possible and to complete the course with as few mistakes as possible,"
he adds, and as if his words serve as a compass for those who want to exercise and play sports, as they also convey the message that it is not only results that should be constantly pursued, because the positive effects can also have a lasting impact on people.
“For nearly a quarter of a century now, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons have been sacred to me—my loved ones know this too. That’s when I do strength training, climbing, or circuit workouts. At first, I more or less let Tuesdays and Thursdays slide, but since I started competing in Ironman races and marathons, running has become an integral part of my preparation as well. As a result, these days I have even more athletic commitments than before—if you like, I raise the bar for myself year after year. I currently train 13–15 hours a week at high intensity, and on weekends I often take part in various events and challenges. During my base training phase, I devote even more time to building a stronger foundation,”
the dice-throwing gladiator reveals, from whom we soon learn that although he is constantly driven by competitive spirit, he doesn't dare to plan too far ahead – at most one or two months ahead—because once he has set his sights on a competition, he always prepares for it with dedication, but if something comes up and he is forced to cancel his participation, he becomes frustrated and nothing can console him. Meanwhile, it also turns out that he injured his index finger last year, and the ligament snapped, so he no longer really venture out on boulder climbs.
“My finger is fine for obstacle course racing, but it’s much less suited to rock climbing. Even so, I would still be doing long, technical climbs today if there were an opportunity nearby—but I’ll admit I’m also cautious about injuries like that. Yes, I’m not getting any younger, and my rehabilitation takes longer than it did years ago. And I also feel a strong sense of responsibility: if something were to happen to me, I wouldn’t be able to perform in other areas of my life—and I have my family and our company to think about as well.”
Competition is like a goal that guides him in the direction of development. At the same time, he is inspired, and his weaknesses, which needed to be corrected, come to the surface. Suffice it to say that he would never have dreamed that he would one day be able to run like this.
"One of my athletic dreams is to complete the Ironman in Nagyatád by the age of 40, preferably with a favorable time. But I would also like to improve my marathon time. However, even more important than all this is to have as many memorable experiences as possible with my climbing friendsin competitions that we can look back on with pride or fondness even in our old age,"
Gyömrei Máté sums up, who is a fighter constantly seeking his limits – and ultimately overcoming them. There is no question that he likes to push his limits in order to stay motivated. He always needs new goals to strive for. Perhaps this is because he was carved from a mold that sees the world as a more beautiful place after a good workout.
Author: Ferenc Király
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