Record number of over 12,000 participants as Hyrox returns to National Stadium

SINGAPORE – Just metres away from the finish line, Loh Chee Khoon set a 4kg ball on the ground and hunched over to catch his breath. Drops of sweat spotted the floor.

To finish the Hyrox race, Loh – who was born without a left arm – had to hit a target three metres above ground by throwing the ball 100 times.  

“I’d occasionally feel lonely, because the athletes on my left and right would finish the station and I’d still be there,” said Loh, a 36-year-old user interface/experience designer from Malaysia. 

“But that motivates me and keeps me moving.” 

Loh, the sole competitor in his division under the adaptive men’s category at the AIA Hyrox Open Asian Championships on June 28, finished in 1hr 48min 13sec.

He was among more than 12,000 participants – a record number for Hyrox races held locally – who competed at the National Stadium over the June 28-29 weekend. 

The adaptive category, an addition to the line-up in Singapore, features impairment divisions such as upper limb and short stature. 

Out of the eight stations, Loh said the sled push was the most challenging, as he had to push a sled weighing 152kg – 2.5 times his bodyweight of 60kg – with his right arm and left shoulder. “But I protect my shoulder with a towel, and do it step by step,” he said. 

“People ask me, ‘Why don’t you do the doubles or relay events?’. But I don’t want to be a burden to someone. I want to prove to everyone that I can do it by myself,” said Loh, who competed in his first Hyrox race in Bangkok in May. 

“I hope I can encourage and inspire more people in the disabled community to train and compete together.”

The number of sign-ups, almost double the previous edition at the Singapore Expo in September 2024, is testament to the race’s growth here, said Hyrox Singapore country manager William Petty.

“Such a large event places Singapore in a great standard in terms of Hyrox across the region,” he said. “Gym communities, families and friends are all getting involved.”

Petty said that the door for Singapore to host the World Championships in 2027, where Hyrox’s top finishers across the globe compete against each other, is open. Stockholm has been chosen to host the 2026 edition. “We’ve definitely got the ability to host it,” he said.

In the meantime, competitors can gear up for the next race, which will return to the Singapore Expo on Nov 29 and 30, the organisers announced on June 29.

During the two-day affair at the National Stadium, thousands of spectators surrounded the barricades at the stadium, holding flags and banners. At the finish line on June 28, a dozen members from functional gym Move Strong were cheering Eve Felder, 70, on. 

“At the wall balls stations, I stopped every 10 reps and just stood there for a moment, and I could hear them cheering for me, because everyone knows how old I am,” said Felder, who was the oldest competitor in the women’s Open category. 

Her first Hyrox race, which she completed in 2:02:56, proved to be more of a mental battle than a physical one, said the American.

“I have three daughters, so I have to live a really long life,” she said. “I just pretend that I have them on my back and I’m carrying them to safety.” 

For Eva Lee, 70, her three daughters – Isabelle, Janice, and Lynn Chng – were by her side. 

The Singaporean quartet were in matching outfits – a purple tank top with an animated picture of themselves printed on it – and in high spirits ahead of the women’s relay event. 

Lee had readily agreed when her daughters, who have each raced in previous editions, approached her with the idea of forming a team. “I thought, ‘I should embrace the challenge and just do it!’”

They completed the race in 1:39:30 to cheers from family and friends. 

“It’s not just about the competition, it’s about the camaraderie and the shared journey with my daughters,” said Lee. “Celebrating small victories, learning from each other, and growing stronger as a family. 

“Hyrox is a perfect blend of fitness, kinship and fun, and that’s what makes it truly special.”