McIntyre opens up about his past: from court-ordered rehab to the top of Hyrox

Hunter McIntyre shared a photo this week taken nineteen years ago, shortly after he had completed a court-ordered rehabilitation programme. In his caption, he describes how he was living without direction during that period and turned to alcohol and drugs, not out of addiction, but by his own account out of a need to feel out of control.

The turning point came when he discovered sport. McIntyre draws a direct line between the look on his face during races and the photo from his turbulent teenage years: on the verge of breaking down, but still fighting on. That mentality, he says, has not changed. Only the stage on which he fights it out has.

He also addresses followers with similar backgrounds. Physical challenges and sport serve as a form of accountability for him, something that keeps him on the right track in a way nothing else can. That is his message, not a sermon, but a personal observation.

The post can be found on Instagram account @huntthesheriff and has drawn a wave of responses from the Hyrox community. It adds little to his sporting career in terms of news, but it offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of the most recognisable names in the sport.