The 2025 HYROX World Championships were not without some controversy on the competition floor, specifically with the U.S. Mixed Relay Team, which was disqualified for excessive and unsportsmanlike conduct.
Remind me: At the 2025 HYROX World Championships, Team U.S.A. included Hunter McIntyre, Ryan Kent, Meg Jacoby, and Lauren Weeks.
During the race, McIntyre was caught on video shoving fellow competitor Jeremy McConnell of Team Ireland into the side fence. The footage, which spread on social media, ultimately led to the entire team being disqualified from the event.
- McIntyre is one of the most well-known HYROX athletes, holding the world’s fastest time for the men’s pro division race at 53:22.
Weeks, a decorated elite HYROX athlete, shared her thoughts on the situation and provided an overview of her overall experience at the event on her YouTube channel.
- “I don’t think I’ve ever been disqualified from something ever in my life, and I’ve definitely never been disqualified for poor sportsmanship,” Weeks said. “So to be part of a team that got disqualified for poor sportsmanship, I don’t know, it doesn’t sit very well with me.”
Weeks, a three-time world champion, said that McIntyre reached out to her directly to apologize and even offered to compensate the athletes for the losses incurred due to their disqualification in the relay.
However, in a post on his Instagram, McIntyre said in his caption, “I stand by my actions. F**k around and find out.”
Team U.S.A. completed the race, but the members weren’t notified of the DQ until the next day. The win then went to Team Australia.
- “I’m really hoping that next year I am fit and healthy and able to give this another go because while the race was very painful, it was also super fun, and someday I’d like to stand on the podium for my country. I think that’d be really cool,” Weeks said.
Separately, Weeks was asked to serve as a guide runner for Linda, an adaptive athlete who was also competing at the World Championships.
Weeks’ role throughout the race varied, but mostly it was to keep Linda on track and make sure she knew which station came next. Since Linda has cerebral palsy, it was also Weeks’ job to ensure she didn’t fall during the lunge or wall ball stations.
- “It was an absolutely incredible experience. I was on the course with Linda, but I also got to see all these other athletes just working so hard. This race is hard enough in itself, but what these athletes were doing was special,” said Weeks.
The bottom line: Even with some setbacks, the World Championships were a fantastic experience for most athletes. The 2025/26 racing season is already shaping up to have the most racers in HYROX’s history.
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Featured Image: Scott Freymond
