South African fitness coach Leroy Saunders, a well-known figure in Thailand’s CrossFit community, has died after collapsing while competing at BYD HYROX Bangkok 2026.
According to Thai media, the 41-year-old lost consciousness during the fitness competition on 13 Aug at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre in Bangkok.
Source: @leroy.offline on Instagram
He received emergency medical attention at the event before being brought to hospital, where he later passed away.
His death was confirmed in a statement posted on his Instagram account on Tuesday (18 Aug).
It said the reasons behind Saunders’ death were still being fully understood, and described him as someone who had made an impact on “hundreds if not thousands” of people throughout his life.
Source: @iamcoachleroy on Instagram
It added that Saunders had lived “without regret or hesitation”, while thanking the many communities he had been part of for the messages, notes, and support they had sent following his death.
His family and team also asked HYROX, media outlets, and other official parties to hold back from making further statements until they were fully certain about what had happened.
Acknowledging that people wanted a clearer understanding of the circumstances, the statement said more information would be shared when appropriate, and thanked supporters for their patience and for “offering light in such a dark time”.
Saunders owned IAOT CrossFit and specialised in sports science, strength, and conditioning, with a particular focus on improving the performance of combat athletes.
He also founded Fight by Design, which developed training programmes for Muay Thai fighters, MMA athletes, boxers, and others looking to improve their physical performance.
Source: @leroy.offline on Instagram