As the Ladies European Tour (LET) heads Down Under for its annual Aussie swing, two of the circuit’s biggest names swapped wedges for weights in an impressive test of athletic strength and fitness endurance.
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, a two-time LET winner, and Annabell Fuller, a three-time Curtis Cup star, kicked off the month competing in the Hyrox doubles race in Brisbane – an indoor fitness competition which combines eight kilometres of running and eight functional workout stations.
Pairing up to tackle the challenge ahead of the now-cancelled Australian WPGA Championship, the duo completed the race in an impressive time of 1 hour 24 minutes and 42 seconds (this despite both being ill on race day).
“Thank you Pauline for being the best partner ever!” Fuller said following the event. “Thank you for motivating me the past couple months and pushing me to be better everyday. Thank you for supporting me during every bit of the process and being okay with all my craziness.
“More importantly thank you for pushing through being sick and doing the whole workout with me when I know you felt terrible! You continue to amaze me and I can’t wait to do more with you!
“We had the worst preparation (getting off a 24 hour flight, you being sick among many other things) but nothing took away from how much I enjoyed the day! Every second from warming up and singing along to the songs to the burpees and machines were so much fun! Can’t wait to train harder and get a good time with you.”
Roussin-Bouchard is no stranger to fitness challenges, regularly competing in trail races whenever her golf schedule permits. During the off-season, the Frenchwoman completed the Austin Half Marathon in a time of 1 hour 49 minutes and 22 seconds.
“I was in the pain cave like I have never been before,” the 24-year-old said after completing Hyrox this weekend. “I was fighting sickness, lack of sleep and the woman monthly grind… but it was so worth it ! Thank you Annabell for pushing me and being the best partner ! You got me through this one and inspire me to be stronger for the next one.
“Big bummer I had to pull out of the solos on Sunday. But we do it for the process and the lifestyle not the races – you have to be in love with the process to tolerate the wait to reach your goals. So back to work now that we got a taste of what to expect.”
Fuller meanwhile juggles playing on the LET with a mightily impressive CrossFit regime. She has been taking part in the sport – a branded fitness programme which involves varied functional movements performed at a high intensity – since 2022.
“Off the golf course, the sport helps me to switch off,” Fuller explains. “You can only concentrate on the movements that you’re doing not anything to do with what’s going on around you. On the golf course, I have found it has helped me with past shoulder injuries as it has really strengthened my upper body. Equally I have gained about 10 mph in my driver swing speed!”
And it wasn’t just the LET pair tackling Hyrox this weekend. Kristalle Blum, a member of both the WPGA Tour of Australasia and LET Access Series (LETAS), also tested her skills in the singles race on Sunday. The Aussie completed the challenge in 1 hour 28 minutes and 38 seconds.
After a week of respite all three players will now travel south to Coffs Harbour to compete in the Australian Women’s Classic. Follow all the action on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram and X and Ladies European Tour on Facebook and YouTube.
