Canadian athlete Cole Learn was disqualified from the 2026 Elite 15 Singles Men Race on Thursday night. Officials determined he departed the Ski Erg station before completing the full prescribed distance of 1,000m.
According to HYROX, the rulebook permits either a time penalty or a disqualification in situations like this. The organization stated that athletes in the Elite 15 division are held to the strictest interpretation of the rules, which led to Learn receiving the harsher sanction.
Cole Learn responded on instagram.
“Those close to me know the amount of time, effort, money and sacrifice I have put into being here. Uprooting my entire life for one goal of being a world champion.”
“I feel upset, I feel robbed, I feel discouraged, I feel angry, I feel it all, but there is one thing about me that has led me to where I am today. I don’t fucking quit.”
“You will see me again; and this will be a small blip in my journey to becoming a world champion.”
“Thank you everyone for the constant and ongoing support, I won’t be able to get back to all the messages but just know I’m reading them all. “
Learn more about the other key judging decisions that have affected the scores so far.
