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8th July 2025
11:36am BST
An Australian man has been accused of leaving his girlfriend behind after she fainted during an intensive exercise competition.
HYROX combines running and high-intensity workouts, like burpee jumps and rowing.
With almost all Hyrox events in the UK currently sold out, competing has grown into a huge fitness trend over the past year, and completing one is viewed — akin to running a marathon— as the ultimate achievement for amateur athletes.
One man has been accused of taking this desire to prove his power of endurance way too far this weekend, at a HYROX event in Sydney, Australia.
A video posted on TikTok by fellow competitor Aaron Boundy shows a woman faint during the event before paramedics rush over to support her.
Her boyfriend, and HYROX partner, appears to leave her behind and complete the event rather than check on her.
In the video, the TikToker says: "That guy's missus just fainted and like full hit the deck," he said, showing a person on the floor surrounded by paramedics.
"She's unresponsive and he just kept doing the wall ball and then crossed the line by himself, he's left her there."
At the end of the event, he went on to say: "I think I've just witnessed one of the worst things in my life.
"Some guy's missus started like falling and fainting at the wall balls and I was like, told one of the judges, 'can you help her?' And they were like what, 'no, she's OK, she's OK'.
"Then she hit the deck, fainted. She was full, like, twitching on the floor. And then her boyfriend 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... the boyfriend walks over, taps her on the leg and then looks at the judge and goes 'do I need her to finish the race?'
"They're like, technically no... then [he] ran off and finished the race without her."
The upsetting scenes have led to debate across social media, with one commenter on Instagram saying: "This has nothing to do with sport and everything to do with how women are really treated by their partners… hope she’s ok ❤️🩹."
Another added: "What you didn’t know was that Gareth and his partner Casey made an agreement that if she passed out he’s keep going for them both. Normalise having context before making reels."
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.”
He also added: “Both teammates are required to complete the full race to be eligible for a finisher time and ranking.”
