A viral video from the Sydney HYROX event over the weekend has sparked debate online, after footage surfaced of a man continuing to compete while his girlfriend and teammate was left on the floor being treated by paramedics.
The incident, which quickly went viral on TikTok, was captured on video by a bystander who watched in horror.
“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.
He claimed that the man tapped his girlfriend on the leg and then asked the race’s judge if he needed her to finish the race.
When he was told that he “technically didn’t”, he allegedly ran off and finished the race without her.
The footage shows paramedics attending to the woman while her boyfriend continues to run in the background.
What is HYROX?
HYROX is a global fitness racing event that focuses on endurance running with functional strength challenges.
Competitors complete eight 1km runs, each followed by a different workout station, such as sled pushes, burpee jumps, rowing, and wall balls.
Participants can compete as singles, doubles, or in relay teams, and each person wears a timing chip to record their pace.
A woman allegedly passed out at Sydney Hyrox on the weekend, before her partner went on to continue the race. Picture: Supplied
The woman was allegedly ‘twitching’ on the floor as paramedics attended to her.
Social media backlash
In the comments of the video, many condemned the man’s decision to continue the race after his partner fainted.
“Showed the public how he feels about her,” wrote one commenter.
“I hope that’s her ex now,” said another.
“If we signed up as a couple, and he continued without me due to a medical emergency – especially being UNCONSCIOUS – he could continue the rest of his life without me too,” another woman added.
Then some took aim at the broader HYROX culture, labelling the event “cult-like” and questioning the priorities of its participants.
“Some of these HYROX folks treat it like a cult,” one person wrote.
“Every thought I’ve had about the people who go to HYROX – confirmed,” said another.
HYROX has surged in popularity in recent years, with many saying it has ‘cult like’ participants. Picture: Instagram
People defend the man’s move
However, not everyone agreed with the criticism.
James, a fellow HYROX competitor who competed over the 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.”
Then, a woman claiming to be the person in the video commented on the clip, saying: “My first two questions to my partner when I came to was ‘Did you finish it for us, and what time did we get?’ And for context, if you bothered to show it, he came back straight away, a bit disappointing that this has been taken out of context for views”.
Another witness said: “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 argued that with paramedics on hand, there was little he could do: “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”.
Another added, “The paramedics would’ve told him to give them space to work anyways, she was in good hands”.
News.com.au has reached out to the woman allegedly in the video for further comment.
Official HYROX response
Mat Lock, Country Manager for HYROX APAC and Technical Director for HYROX Elite Racing, told news.com.au: “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.
“After receiving a radio call from a Head Judge, the medical team and Event Directors responded quickly to the situation. Priority was, and always will be, given to the participant’s assessment/treatment, privacy and safety.”
Mr Lock also clarified the rules: “Both teammates are required to complete the full race to be eligible for a finisher time and ranking”.
Read the full article here
