South African fitness coach Leroy Saunders has died after collapsing and losing consciousness while competing at the Hyrox Bangkok 2026 event.
Saunders, 41, was competing at the event at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok on 13 August when he collapsed.
Event staff and medical personnel administered CPR and emergency resuscitation before he was taken to hospital, where he later died, according to The Nation.
Hyrox is a gruelling indoor fitness race that mixes running with strength exercises.
Competitors alternate 1km runs with eight workout stations, pushing through 8km of running in total alongside exercises including sled pushes, rowing, sandbag lunges, and wall balls.
The Bangkok event was Hyrox’s biggest race in Asia to date, with more than 22,000 participants expected from Thailand and overseas.
The four-day competition ran from 13 to 16 August, and Saunders collapsed on the event’s opening day, when men’s and women’s Open races and doubles events were being held.
Saunders’s family confirmed his death in a statement posted on his Instagram account.
They wrote: “Last Thursday, we unfortunately lost Leroy due to reasons we are still trying to fully understand. What we can share without doubt is that until the last second of this moment, Leroy lived his life without regret or hesitation and impacted hundreds if not thousands to do the same throughout his journey.”
Saunders’s family asked for the media and other bodies to refrain from making any statements “until we are fully certain what happened”.
“We are aware everyone would like closure and a better understanding, and we are working hard to be able to offer this when the time is right. We want to thank everyone again for their kindness and offering light in such a dark time,” the statement added.
No information on the circumstances of his death was announced.
Based in Bangkok, Saunders owned IAOT CrossFit and founded Fight By Design, a strength and conditioning programme used by combat-sports athletes. His own sporting background began with Muay Thai, and he competed at the WTKA World Championships in Italy in 2015.
He was a competitive CrossFit athlete as well as a coach, appearing in the CrossFit Open for several years and later competing in Thailand. He had also taken part in Hyrox before, completing the doubles category in 1 hour, 17 minutes and 51 seconds alongside Annika Saunders in 2025, according to Malay Mail.
His social media has since announced a tribute workout in Saunders’ memory, with the 35-minute session featuring 13 power cleans, eight bar muscle-ups, 26 synchro air squats, and 41 double-unders, marking the date of his death and his age.
Read More‘I had a hysterectomy at 33 due to my endometriosis – it was the ultimate sacrifice’
Harry and Meghan: What we know about where they will live, security and return to UK
Make a style statement with the natural warmth of woods
‘It smells fine’: Why millions are risking out-of-date food to save money
‘The Great ADHD Myth?’ missed some important truths that may surprise you
