“That guy’s girl just fainted and like full hit the deck, she’s unresponsive and he just kept doing the wall balls and then crossed the line by himself. He’s left her there … what a piece of sh*t. I think I’ve just witnessed one of the worst things in my life …” the witness, Aaron Boundy, said.
“She hit the deck, fainted and was full like twitching on the floor, and then her boyfriend just kept on doing wall balls, didn’t go over and see her … all the paramedics come over and start doing all this medical stuff to her, put barricades around her, so obviously it’s pretty bad.” he continued.
After the judge responded that she “technically didn’t”, he reportedly chose to continue running and finished the course on his own.
The video shows the woman lying on the ground surrounded by paramedics, while her boyfriend is seen running in the background toward the finish line.
What is HYROX?
HYROX is a global competition that blends endurance running with strength-based fitness challenges.
Participants are required to complete eight 1km runs, and after each run, they face a different workout like sled pushes, wall balls, rowing, or burpee jumps. It’s a tough race designed to push both stamina and strength.
Reports say that a woman collapsed and lost consciousness during the Sydney HYROX event. Her partner allegedly chose to keep competing even as she lay there needing help.
Witnesses said she was visibly twitching as she lay on the ground, while paramedics rushed to care for her.
Social media backlash
The video quickly gained traction online, and viewers didn’t hold back. Many criticized the boyfriend for continuing the race while his partner was clearly in distress.
“Showed the public how he feels about her.” wrote one commenter.
“I hope that’s her ex now.” said another.
Others began criticizing the overall HYROX culture, calling it out for its intense focus and behavior. Some even said it felt “cult-like”.
“Some of these HYROX folks treat it like a cult.” one person wrote.
HYROX has become more and more popular over the years. But some say it’s gained a bit of a reputation for attracting participants with an intense, even cult-like, mindset.
People defend the man’s move
But not everyone saw it the same way. Some people defended the man’s decision, saying there might be more to the story.
James, who also took part in the event that weekend, told news.com.au: “I think most people will use this video as a chance to demonise being selfish and culty to finish at all costs etc. but context is important.”
“If it were me, I would have stayed with her, but I can also see why he finished it. We don’t really know what happened.”
Another person who said they were also at the event shared their side: “This is not an accurate reflection of what actually took place. I was there and witnessed the entire situation as well. He checked on his partner multiple times while she was being attended to by medics. It feels like the account of events has been unfairly misrepresented.”
Others pointed out that once paramedics were on the scene, the boyfriend couldn’t really do much to help anyway: “To be fair, if my partner and I trained for this and I was with paramedics, I’d want him to cross the finish line because he can’t do anything to help me anyways … He will come back.”
News.com.au has tried reaching out to the woman seen in the video for further comment to get more clarity on what actually happened.
Official HYROX response
Mat Lock, the Country Manager for HYROX APAC and also the Technical Director for HYROX Elite Racing, spoke to news.com.au about the situation: “The lady in question was assessed by the medical team at the wall ball station and then quickly relocated by wheelchair to the medical zone for treatment.”
“A while later, the racer recovered sufficiently to leave on foot with her entourage and was advised to seek follow-up medical advice as a precaution.”
Mr. Lock also made the rules clear: “Both teammates are required to complete the full race to be eligible for a finisher time and ranking”